


Toxic

by rubberduckz84



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, F/M, Humor, One Night Stand, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:15:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 62,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24821443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubberduckz84/pseuds/rubberduckz84
Summary: Draco Malfoy has found a calling in the Potions Research Department within the Ministry of Magic - department he helped set up. That is until a mysterious American is being brought in to head it up - a position that was supposed to be his. While out to blow off steam, he meets an intoxicating woman who offers him just one night. Taking it up to get his mind off things, he then discovers that it’s never “just one night”...
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 53





	1. Meet Cute

**Meet Cute**

_ Baby, can’t you see… I’m calling... _

Draco couldn’t help the annoyance that coursed through him as he made his way through the bar, bodies bumping into him or rubbing against him. Some dance track that was the latest hit in the wizarding world was blaring through the speakers, grating further on his nerves. 

Why his friends insisted they spend their Saturday night here, he would never understand. 

At the grand ‘ol age of 27, he was one of the last holdouts in the group. Nott, Crabbe and Goyle were all married now. Blaise - his supposed best friend - was still single like himself, but appeared to enjoy going out more than Draco did. Every other week he had some new witch on his arm and more than his fair share of raunchy hook-up stories. 

It was all rather coarse to Draco. While he was certainly no saint, he didn’t understand the joy some men took in flaunting their escapades to others in some sort of dick-measuring contest. His nighttime activities were his and his alone, as far as he was concerned, though Witch Weekly certainly loved to speculate from time to time. Usually when there was nothing particularly juicy going on with the other celebrities in their world - namely members of the quidditch league. There had been far more stories on his former captain Marcus Flint now that he was settled as one of the League’s top chasers and still seemed stuck in his Hogwart years - namely fucking anything he could get his hands on and trying to take down Oliver Wood. Rather juvenile, in Draco’s opinion. 

No, he preferred a quieter life. Had gone out of his way in the years following the end of the war to ensure that he had one. Which is why he was particularly miffed at the fact that his friends had tricked him into coming to this horrible, loud dump of a bar where he recognized far more faces than he cared to and was getting far more looks than he wanted.

Supposed it could have had something to do with his expensive attire - he still made a point to dress in nothing but tailored suits and robes - but he had reasons to believe that wasn’t it.

“There he is!” 

Draco turned his head, barely hearing Blaise’s voice over the music. Frowning, he made his way over to the table where he was standing with Nott.

“Where’s Crabbe and Goyle?” he asked as Blaise shoved a glass of beer into his hand. He glared down at the offending beverage as though the man had shoved a bloody horcrux into his hand. 

“Can’t make it. Married stuff,” Blaise said lightly, still shouting over the music. “Their loss.” Draco looked up at him and then around the table before taking a sip. It tasted like piss water, but he needed some sort of alcohol if he were going to make it through the night. 

“You ready to meet your new boss?” Nott asked, a smile on his face. Blaise laughed as Draco glared at him.

Meeting his new boss was the absolute last thing he was ready for. After years of pouring his heart and soul into the Potions Research Team at the Ministry - even bloody help set up the damn thing - and then another several months of doing anything and everything he could to try and prove that this O. A. De Loughrey that they were looking into for the position was a crock, he had gotten absolutely nowhere. And this was after Watkins - his former boss - had basically promised Draco the position upon his retirement.

“Don’t understand why you care so much, mate. Not like you need the job,” Blaise said casually. 

“It’s the principle of it,” Draco snarled, looking to his so-called best friend. “That position was supposed to be mine. I’ve given that department  _ everything _ and this is how they repay me?”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Blaise said reasonably. Draco’s glare deepened. 

“I helped fund it when it started. And how many patents have I got now?” he asked.

“Apparently not more than De Loughrey,” Nott said with a chuckle. Draco turned to glare at him, causing Nott’s laugh to die in his throat. “Who is this bloke anyway?”

“Some git from an old money, pureblood family in New York,” Draco grumbled. Nott and Blaise shared a look. “Yes, I know, but I’ve worked hard for my accomplishments, you both know that.”

“From what I’ve read of De Loughrey’s work, he’s pretty impressive,” Blaise said, earning another scowl from Draco. 

Those were the words of a traitor in his mind. Sure De Loughrey had an impressive resume and made loads of discoveries in terms of alternate uses for common potions. And created a fair amount of his own. And discovered new uses for common ingredients. And experimented with creating hybrid plants in order to create said new potions.

But Draco had helped build the department from the ground up. Had made his own contributions to the wizarding world through his work. He was just as good as this De Loughrey. There was no need to go all the way to America to poach him from some cushy job with a renowned potions institute over there. Draco would do just as good, if not better, in the position, in his opinion.

“All I’m saying is, you’ve been rather obsessed with taking him down and at some point you’re going to have to give it up. He won and he’s going to be our boss,” Blaise continued. Draco just glared at him and took another sip of his beer before glaring at the glass and putting it down on the table.

“I need a stronger drink,” he muttered before turning and pushing his way through the crowd to the bar.

It was a bloody disgrace, in his mind. That position should be his. And it wasn’t about his age - De Loughrey was only a couple years older than he was. The fact that his work was solid only added more fuel to the fire. No, if Draco was going to take him down, he would have to be patient. Once the bastard was in the Ministry, then he could find his weakness and use it against him.

He hadn’t been sorted into Slytherin for nothing.

Draco raised his hand, attempting to get the bartender’s attention, but the sodding idiot was too busy flirting with a gaggle of witches at the other end. 

“Brilliant,” Draco muttered, leaning on the bar and wondering how long he was going to have to wait. This was just the icing on the top of an already shit cake.

Suddenly, there was a loud whistle at his side that pierced his eardrum. Frowning, he looked for the perpetrator to ream them out. What he found was a short woman with shoulder length wavy blonde hair in a black sequined dress that left little to the imagination at his side. Though while others were wearing something similar that came off cheap in Draco’s opinion, she somehow managed to keep it classy. He straightened up a bit and watched as she shot a bright smile to the bartender. He grinned like an idiot and lumbered over to her.

“What can I get you, love?” he asked, leaning over the bar, his eyes fixed on the plunging neckline of the dress.

“Well, you see, my friend and I have been waitin’ oh so long to get a drink,” she replied with a thick Southern accent, fluttering her eyelashes as she pushed out her cleavage a bit. And then without warning, she turned to Draco. “What was it you said you wanted, sweetie?” 

His mouth fell open slightly in shock, though he quickly snapped it shut and looked to the bartender.

“Blishen’s. Straight,” he managed to get out. The bartender nodded and then turned back to the woman, grinning. 

“And for you?” he crooned.

“Same,” she said sweetly. The bartender winked and turned away to get the drinks ready as Draco looked down at the woman again in shocked curiosity. In the moment the bartender turned away, she straightened up from her ditzy pose and chuckled.

“God, so dense. Fall for it everytime,” she said, glancing up at him with a conspiratol smile and reverting to a more neutral accent, though there was still a hint of a Southern accent. “Something about a Southern accent…”

“I… thanks,” Draco said, unsure of how to respond. The woman just shrugged.

“You look like you could use a drink and I’m always willing to help out someone in need,” she said lightly. Before Draco could ask her anything else, the bartender put the drinks in front of them.

“On the house,” he said with a wink.

“Well, aren’t you so sweet,” she replied, adopting the accent again. She picked up the drinks and turned to Draco, holding one out to him. “See you later.” She then winked and disappeared into the crowd after handing over the drink to him. Draco followed her a moment, but then remembered his drink. He quickly made for his table before the bartender could change his mind and make him pay for it.

“What’s gotten into you?” Nott asked, taking in Draco’s dazed look.

“Nothing,” Draco said immediately, rearranging his face into a scowl as he drank. As his friends continued on with their conversation, he couldn’t help as his eyes roved around the bar, searching for her. 

When he couldn’t find her, he resigned himself to attempting to pay attention to the conversation, though quickly grew annoyed yet again.

_ I’ll get one more drink and then if I don’t see her, I’ll go home… _

~~~

Three drinks later, Draco was thoroughly pissed and not in the way he intended. 

While the alcohol sat warmly in his stomach, it hadn’t done much to make the bar seem any less annoying. Downing his last drink, he told the lads he was off to the loo, though made his way to a door at the back that led to an alley where he could quietly apparate home.

He couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed that the woman from before seemed to have disappeared into thin air, but he then chastised himself. He knew nothing about her save that she was gorgeous and quick-witted. There were loads of witches like that. And Draco Malfoy did not chase down skirts. Not like Blaise or the others, anyway.

Stepping out into the alley, he closed his eyes as he took a deep breath of fresh air.

“Come on then, love. You wouldn’t be out wearing something like that if you weren’t interested.” 

“I highly doubt what I’m wearing has anything to do with that.”

His eyes flew open as he recognized both voices. The first was undoubtedly that of his former quidditch captain. 

The other was the mystery woman. 

Draco looked around the alley, seeing the two not that far down from him. The woman was leaning against the wall, an annoyed look on her face as Flint proceeded to invade her personal space. A knot of anger formed in Draco’s stomach as his feet started leading him towards them.

“Don’t you know who I am?” Flint asked, his voice taking on a slightly menacing tone that had Draco speeding up. The woman snorted.

“No. Do you know who I am?” she retorted. 

Flint planted both hands on the wall around her, effectively boxing her in. 

“Birds don’t say no to me,” he growled.

“Well then, I suppose there’s a first for everything,” she said, clearly not worried for her safety in the slightest. 

“Back off, Flint,” Draco said, grabbing his shoulder and yanking back. Though bigger and much burlier, the quidditch player had obviously had a lot to drink and moved more easily. As he turned to glare at Draco, the woman quickly grabbed his shoulders and then brought her knee up forcefully, hitting him hard in the groin. 

A groan of pain erupted from Flint’s mouth as he doubled over and then fell to the ground. Draco watched in shock as the woman straightened her dress and glared down at him, a string of curse words flowing from his lips.

“I don’t care if you’re Marcus Fucking Flint. Doesn’t give you the right to paw me. Someone should teach you how to talk to a lady,” she declared, her accent slightly thicker, before turning to Draco and smiling pleasantly. “Thanks.” 

“Just… repaying the favor,” Draco said, uncharacteristically at a loss for words. Her eyebrows rose slightly as an amused look came over her face. 

“Suppose this does make us even,” she said, before starting for the door. 

“What’s your name?” Draco asked suddenly, not wanting her to leave. He completely forgot the quidditch player still rolling around on the ground in pain. Though he almost winced at how desperate he sounded. She laughed softly.

“Find me again and I’ll tell you,” she said with a wink before disappearing back in the bar. Draco stared at the door slightly flabbergasted. He then looked down at Flint, who was starting to get up. Deciding it was best not to be around when he finally got over himself, he made a dash inside, making his way quickly back to the table. 

He couldn’t help as he scanned the bar again, searching for the sparkly dress or her wavy hair. But instead he got nothing. Draco wasn’t sure why he cared. He was never all that interested in the women he met at bars and clubs. But he couldn’t deny there was something about this one that had piqued his interest. 

He then suddenly remembered himself as he straightened up. He was Draco Malfoy. He didn’t go searching down women. Once again ignoring Blaise and Nott, he turned and made his way back to the bar, intending to get one last drink before he left.

As he squeezed in between people, he nearly rolled his eyes when he found all the bartenders - yet again - engaged with other people.

“Ah, look at this, you did find me.” 

Managing to keep himself composed, he glanced to his left, seeing the woman seated on a stool, her head resting in her hand as her elbow was propped on the bar, a bemused look on her face and her long legs crossed. Merlin, they were gorgeous.

“Who said I was looking?” Draco replied, happy that he didn’t sound like a complete idiot. Her eyebrows rose as she straightened up and hopped off the stool. “Though I will say you are rather good at disappearing.” 

“You’d have to have been looking to notice that,” she replied smoothly, stepping closer to him.

“Perhaps I’m just a really good observer,” he said, turning to face her. She stared up at him a few moments, as though she were sizing him up. 

“It’s a bit loud here, don’t you think?” she said. Draco glanced around.

“Perhaps I enjoy it,” he said, looking back at her. She laughed, tossing her head back slightly. Draco couldn’t help as his eyes traveled down her neck, drinking in her smooth skin. 

“I think a man who enjoys Blishen straight probably has a better place in mind than this shithole,” she said, leaning closer to him, her eyes twinkling. He couldn’t really tell the color in the dim light of the bar and for some reason it was driving him mad. 

“Perhaps… but I very well can’t leave with a stranger. Who’s to say you aren’t some serial killer?” he replied dryly. She considered this a moment and then shrugged.

“Suppose you found me out,” she said, holding her hand out. “Liv. Serial Killer extraordinaire.” Draco glanced at her hand and then accepted it, though he was slightly tempted to kiss the back of it. For whatever reason, he felt that might work against him.

“Draco. Serial Killer Hunter,” he replied. Liv stared at him a moment and then laughed loudly. She then stepped closer.

“How about you take me to  _ your _ hunting ground, Draco,” she said in his ear. He couldn’t help as a shiver of desire ran through him.

“Alright,” he said. “Though… don’t you have friends you should check in with.” Liv glanced over her shoulder off into the bar.

“Nah, they won’t miss me,” she said, turning back to him. “Shall we?”

“We shall.” 


	2. Just One Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought it best to also post the second chapter to properly set things up. Warning - this one is smutty. And I still feel I'm no good at these sorts of things, but practice makes perfect, yea??

**Just One Night**

_ A guy like you… should wear a warning... _

“Ah, now this is better. I don’t have to shout at you,” Liv said, sliding onto a stool at the bar. Draco sat on the one next to her, glancing around. They were getting some looks from the other clientele, who were noticeably older. He was fairly sure that it was because of Liv - he came here often enough that they were likely used to seeing him there.

“Blishen as usual, Draco?” the old barkeep said, getting his attention. Draco turned to look at him, grateful they were on a first name basis. He wasn’t sure how much Liv knew about things being from the U.S. but usually he got one of two reactions from women who knew him. 

They either ran in the opposite direction or threw themselves at him and he wasn’t a fan of either. In fact, he found it refreshing being with a woman who seemed to have no clue who he was.

“Yes, please, Charles,” he replied. 

“And for the lady?” Charles asked, looking at Liv.

“Same, please,” she said, smiling brightly at him. The barkeep nodded, then offered Draco a wink as he walked away.

“You come here often?” Liv asked, swiveling around to face him as she crossed her legs. It was hard for Draco to keep his eyes on her face with that one, smooth movement.

“Often enough,” he replied.

“Hmm, I see,” Liv said, smiling. 

“You been in London long?” Draco asked. She shrugged.

“Long enough,” she said vaguely. Draco couldn’t help but smirk slightly. So that was going to be her game, was it? Well, two could play. “What do you do, Draco? I’m assuming whatever it is, you must be doing well for yourself.” She looked him up and down, taking in his dark suit and crisp grey dress shirt, still smiling slightly.

“Let’s say, I do well enough,” he said, turning to pick up the glass that Charles had put in front of him. Liv did the same, though kept her eyes trained on him. Though it was still rather dim, he could finally make out that they were a dusky blue. “What about you? Why did you move here?” 

Liv grinned before taking a drink and then smoothly putting the glass back down, drawing out her pause. He wasn’t sure if she was stalling to come up with a response or trying to build up some sort of anticipation.

“Needed a fresh start,” she said simply. “The U.S. was getting a bit old. Wanted to see what Britain had to offer.” 

She turned back towards the bar, her foot brushing against his leg. Draco wasn’t quite sure just what came over him, but he felt a jolt of electricity shoot through at just the brief touch.

“And so far?” he asked, still managing to keep calm and collected. 

“So far, not bad,” Liv said lightly. “The people are nice.”

“Nice enough that you left them at the last bar without a word?” Draco asked. She chuckled.

“Eh, I’m a big girl. And besides, it’s not like I’m in any trouble, right?” she replied, raising an eyebrow as she picked up her glass again, holding it just in front of her lips. 

“As I recall, you are the serial killer. I should be the one asking if I’m in trouble,” he said. 

“Hmm, true,” Liv said before taking another drink. “But didn’t you say you were a serial killer hunter?”

“I don’t kill on the first meeting,” Draco said casually. “Need to gather evidence first that you are, indeed, a serial killer. I’m starting to doubt you.” Liv laughed, tossing her head back slightly, her blonde waves falling back off her shoulders and exposing the line of her neck. 

Draco nearly licked his lips, imagining kissing the soft, exposed skin. He then met Liv’s eyes, watching as her smile slowly grew and she raised an eyebrow. She had caught him, but he wasn’t ashamed by it. Rather, it emboldened him. 

“So, you see,” he continued, leaning towards her slightly as she turned to him a bit. He rested his hand on her knee, beginning to lightly rub back and forth with his thumb as he squeezed it lightly. Liv jumped slightly, which only made him smile more, seeing that she was just as much affected by his touch as he was to hers. “I’m going to need to investigate just a bit more.” 

“Is that what they’re calling it nowadays?” Liv asked coyly. “I hope for your sake that you are a very… thorough… investigator.” 

“Fairly good, or so I’ve been told,” he said nonchalantly before taking a drink. He slid his hand up her thigh just a bit. 

Merlin, he knew next to nothing about this woman, but it felt as though his veins were slowly catching fire the more he was around her. Regardless of wherever this silly, innuendo-heavy conversation was going, he knew exactly where he wanted Liv to end up tonight.

And why not? It had been a rather long time since his last encounter of this sort. And that had been with his ex Pansy, who told him afterwards that she was getting married in a few weeks and wanted one last romp for old time’s sake. It had bothered him at the time, but he had since gotten over it. 

Sure it was sure to be a night of casual sex, but there was something about Liv that drew him in. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to find out what it was, seeing he had bigger things to worry about. Namely how to get his career back on the right track. But one night of release could help clear his head. Besides, it wasn’t as though Liv was digging for personal information. Everything about her up to this point told him she was in for something similar. 

Liv dropped her hand on his, moving it slightly higher on her thigh as she leaned closer, allowing him to smell her perfume. It was some sort of blend he was unfamiliar with - not overwhelming, but somehow intoxicating at the same time.

“I suppose you’re just going to have to prove it to me, aren’t you?” she said softly, her voice low and full of desire. 

Draco smirked and then tossed back his drink. He then stood from the stool and tossed some coins on the bar before taking Liv by the waist and pulling her off the stool and flush against him. He knew he didn’t have long to get her out of here before his erection became noticeable. Liv’s eyes widened slightly in pleasant surprise.

“You sure you’re up for it?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow. She returned his look with a wicked smile of her own.

“Oh, I think I can handle it,” she replied. 

Draco leaned down, his lips hovering just above hers. He could feel her hold her breath.

“Good…”

~~~

As soon as he led her into his townhouse, Liv was on him, yanking his head down to her as she kissed him passionately, not wasting any time. Draco nearly moaned as she pulled his lower lip between hers, sucking on it slightly. All he could think about was getting to his bedroom.

The two stumbled down the hall, neither letting up in their onslaught. Draco managed to pull off his blazer, dropping it on the ground, before stopping in front of the stairs. He wasn’t sure how they were going to get up to his room on the third floor in this manner. But one look at Liv and her heated eyes had him back in motion. He bent down and pulled her up over his shoulder, Liv giving a slight whoop and then laughed as he turned and started up the stairs, finding she was rather light, though well toned. 

Soon enough, he was stepping onto the landing and walking into his large room, finally putting her down. Liv gripped his arms, getting her balance and then looked back up at him. She bit her lower lip slightly and Draco found himself losing control yet again, bending down to take her lips again. He started moving towards his bed, feeling her slender fingers work at the buttons on his shirt before pulling it out of his trousers and finally getting it fully open. She then ran her fingers up and down his chest, causing him to moan at the sensation.

He slid his hands from her waist up her sides until they were on her shoulders. He then slid the thin straps of her dress off and heard it fall to the floor. Stepping back from her and breathing heavily, he found that all she had been wearing underneath it was a sexy pair of lacy black underwear.

“Like what you see?” she asked breathily. Draco smirked and stepped back to her, kissing her deeply as he began moving back to the bed. He then left her lips, trailing hot kisses across her cheek and down to her neck. Liv arched against him, moaning softly and rubbing her breasts against his chest. 

Draco then pushed her lightly and she fell back on the bed. Liv chuckled softly as she tossed her head back, shimmied onto it a bit more and then met his eyes as she slowly pulled her leg up, rubbing her foot against her calf. Merlin, her legs were amazing - he couldn’t wait to be in between them. Draco stepped over and started undoing the straps on her heel, never breaking eye contact. He dropped the first shoe to the floor and then did the same with the other. 

Slowly, he then bent down and kissed her ankle, glancing up at her. Liv had closed her eyes, a satisfied sigh leaving her lips. He began kissing up her leg languidly, the closer he got to her core, the more she started to tense slightly in anticipation. But rather than give attention where he knew she wanted it, he pulled back and began kissing up the other leg.

“God, such a tease,” she moaned, opening her eyes and peering at him. Draco just smiled smugly.

“Trust me, it’ll be worth the wait,” he replied.

Liv moaned slowly as he moved closer and was finally up kissing just below her navel. She gasped softly as he reached up and gently started pulling her panties down. Merlin, just watching and listening to her was already getting him off. He was going to have to watch it if he wanted this to last longer than a few minutes with the number she was doing on him.

He couldn’t wait to bury himself in her, but first, he wanted to make sure she found some release. 

Draco dropped the panties on the floor, looking down at her womanhood exposed to him. It didn’t take long for him to settle on the bed between her legs and slowly lick her from back to front. Merlin, she tasted so good. Liv gasped and arched her back off the bed. She was so wet it made his member throb in his trousers, begging to be let out. But not yet.

He reached her clit and sucked it into his mouth, a loud moan leaving Liv’s lips as she arched again and gripped the comforter of his bed tightly.

“Fuck,” she said as he ran his tongue in circles around the bundle of nerves and then lightly nipped it. Liv bucked her hips as her breathing became heavier. Draco slid a finger inside, slowly working it in and out as she began to ride it, her eyes closed and more moans and expletives falling softly from her lips. 

He slid in another finger, feeling her tight walls surround them and making him want nothing more than to feel them around his dick. He began to thrust in and out a bit more faster as his tongue continued to play with her clit.

“Oh god, Draco,” she said, starting to writhe. He only picked up speed, feeling her begin to spasm around him. Merlin, she was fast. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was that talented or if she was just extra sensitive, but he didn’t dwell too long. 

He wanted to see her come undone. To taste her fully.

Liv reached down, tangling her fingers in his hair as she urged him to go faster. Harder. Draco acquiesced, enjoying the sight and sound of her as she neared her climax.

Finally, she arched up off the bed, a loud moan sounded as she clenched around him and her juices poured forth. Draco thought for a moment that he’d cum too, just watching her. He continued pumping in and out as she rode out her orgasm and then moved back, standing next to the bed. 

Liv whimpered, her eyes opening as she looked up at him. A smile then appeared as she saw him undoing his belt and then the button and zipper of his trousers. She propped herself up on her elbows, watching as he slid his trousers and pants down in one go, managing to step out of them and his shoes before straightening up. 

He couldn’t help but smirk as her eyes fell on his erect prick, standing proudly out from his body. Liv bit her lower lip as her eyes trailed up his body, finally meeting his eyes before he lowered himself to the bed and then crawled up her body, kissing the smooth skin of her stomach and then stopped as he reached just between her breasts. Her perky, perfect breasts. He took the left nipple into his mouth as he began to roll the other between his fingers, causing Liv to hiss slightly. She raised her hips off the bed, rubbing against his dick. 

The sensation was almost enough to cause him to abandon his current course of action and plunge deep within her, but managed to swap breasts, making sure both got equal attention. He then kissed up her chest to her neck before taking her ear lobe into his mouth.

“Fuck, Draco,” she whispered, still rubbing against him. Her hands trailed down his sides until he felt her fingers wrapping around his length and beginning to stroke. 

He groaned, burying his face in her neck, nearly seeing stars, it felt so good. Liv chuckled softly, causing vibrations to rumble through his body. 

“Ah, you like that?” she asked. He could only groan in response.

She quickened her pace, stroking him from tip to base and back again. Finally, Draco could take no more, sitting up on his knees. He grabbed her hands and then pinned them over her head, a smile of pleasure appearing on her face as he then reached down and positioned himself at her entrance. With no warning he slid in, filling her in one swift thrust. 

Both of them gasped and moaned. But he didn’t wait long, starting to thrust in and out. It felt better than he had been anticipating. He let go of her wrists, reaching down to her leg and then putting it over his shoulder as he buried deeper in her, quickly easing into a quick, but steady rhythm. Liv met him thrust for thrust, her face clearing showing the pleasure she was feeling. 

Her eyes then open and piercing deeply into him, causing him to shudder in even more desire. Before he knew what was happening, she had flipped him over and was now on top of him, a playful smirk on her face as she began riding him. Draco groaned loudly, feeling fire course through his very being as he watched her. Her blonde hair fell into her face as her breasts bounced with each move. He reached up and grabbed the back of her neck, forcing her face down towards him as he took her mouth in a hungry kiss.

It was a game of dominance. Both of them fighting to stay in control as they rolled around the bed, but yet never seemed to lose their pace. 

But finally, Draco could feel himself getting close - so close. And from the way she was tightening around him, he could tell Liv was too. 

“Fuck, I’m going to cum,” Liv shouted, her nails digging into his back. Suddenly, her walls tightened around him as she shouted his name out and the sensation was so overwhelming that his own orgasm followed shortly after, Draco falling down on top of her as he grunted, releasing himself deep inside her. 

The two of them panted heavily as he thrusted a few more times and then stopped. He lifted up slightly, looking into her eyes. 

“You really are good at this… investigating,” she whispered in between pants, a playful smile on her face. Though he was slightly spent, Draco couldn’t help but smirk before he pressed a kiss against her lips.

“Oh, Liv… I’m just getting started…” 

~~~

Draco came to feeling deliciously satisfied. He popped an eye open, seeing the light pouring in through the glass doors that led out to a terrace. He smiled to himself, wondering how Liv felt about morning sex. Personally, he was a fan of it. 

Especially after last night.

Just thinking about all the things they did got him hard again. He knew he should be exhausted and utterly spent. But all he could think about was how he wanted more. Liv was like a drug. The way she kissed and smiled. The feel of her skin against his. How she screamed his name. And he was experienced enough to know that none of it had been an act. 

Stretching, he rolled over and then stopped, frowning as he saw the bed next to him empty. He sat up and looked around, noticing that her clothes were gone. His grey eyes then fell on a note propped up on his nightstand. Leaning over, he picked up, seeing the unfamiliar loopy handwriting.

_ Last night was amazing. Maybe we’ll run into each other again and can have some more fun investigating.  
_ _ -Liv _

Groaning, he fell back on the bed as he stared up at the ceiling. He had a plan. He was going to make her breakfast. Perhaps coax a few more rounds out of her, though from what he experienced last night, she seemed as though she couldn’t get enough of him either. 

Perhaps he’d learn her last name and they could exchange contact information. Meet up again. 

Draco frowned at that. Last night was just supposed to be one night of hot sex with a beautiful stranger and nothing more. So why was it he was disappointed that she hadn’t stuck around? Why did he want to see her again? Perhaps this time actually learn something about her?

“YOU BETTER HAVE A GOOD REASON FOR ABANDONING ME LAST NIGHT!” he heard shouted from downstairs. 

Groaning, Draco dragged himself out of bed and made his way over to his dresser, pulling out a pair of pajama pants and tugging them on before grabbing a t-shirt and making his way down the stairs as he pulled it on. He then stopped. 

“Accio wand,” he muttered, waiting until it was in his hand before continuing on.

As he cleared the stairs on the ground floor and walked over, he saw an irate Blaise in the kitchen. Though after one look, he started grinning.

“You found a bird, didn’t you?” he asked. His eyes moved towards the corridor behind Draco. “She still here?”

“No,” Draco said flatly, continuing into the kitchen and waving his wand, staring up a kettle of tea. His mother continuously tried to talk him into getting a house elf, but Draco couldn’t help but find the notion odd considering he was a bachelor. 

“What happened?” Blaise asked, obviously eager for details. “She no good?” Draco looked over at him, glaring, though he said nothing. “Ah, she was incredibly good and you’re pissed that she’s done a runner.” Draco rolled his eyes and turned back to the kettle, willing it to heat up faster. “Who was she?”

“Dunno. All I got was a name - Liv,” he replied. “And she’s American.” 

“You know, we could always get Nott to try and-” 

“No,” Draco said forcefully, though he couldn’t help but find the idea tempting. But still, how much could Nott truly find with just a first name?

“Fine,” Blaise said, huffing slightly. “You got any food? I’m starving.” Scowling at his best friend, Draco shook his head and started towards his fridge.

Looked as though someone was getting breakfast today.


	3. Decidedly Not a Meet Cute

**Decidedly Not a Meet Cute**

_ It’s dangerous... _

Draco was laser-focused as he walked through the Ministry lobby Monday morning towards the lifts. Today was the day he finally came face to face with Public Enemy No. 1, as he had taken to calling De Loughrey in his mind. He would size him up and then come up with a plan to try and get his job.

“Fancy seeing you early,” Blaise said as he fell in step with Draco, the two walking onto the lift. Draco raised an eyebrow at him as he pressed the button for their floor and the lift began moving with a lurch. “Any luck with that-”

“No,” Draco said harshly, not wanting to discuss his weekend rendezvous at work.

The Potions Research Department was located on one of the lower levels as the Ministry wished to keep all its research arms in the same general area, though none of them had access to the levels where the Unspeakables worked beneath them. It had started as a small chamber in a forgotten corner shortly after the war, but with a lot of work and several very successful new potions patents, Draco and his mentor Watkins had managed to convince the Ministry that it was a worthwhile venture. 

The department now had its own level and was staffed by about 50 witches and wizards split into various teams. Draco and Blaise were in the main office, considered the most elite and most senior team. The new boss would be located in their office and work directly with them most of the time, though he would also oversee all the others as well. It was a load of work - Watkins had stayed late more often than not balancing his administrative role with his research - but it was a responsibility that Draco had been striving for since Day 1. It wasn’t enough to be on the research team anymore, he wanted the entire floor to flourish because of his leadership.

Show the wizarding world that you didn’t need to be the bloody Golden Trio to make meaningful contributions and all. And to perhaps forget finally that he had once been a Death Eater.

All that was standing in his way was O. A. De Loughrey.

“Wanted to check on my work before the new boss arrives,” Draco said dryly as the lift came to a stop and they both got out, making their way down the hall to the main research lab. Everyone was to meet there at 9 a.m. sharp in order to greet De Loughrey and Draco wanted to get set up before them so he could dive right into work afterwards.

“You think he’ll cut projects?” Blaise asked, a bit of worry creeping into his eyes.

“Why would he do that?” Draco asked.

“Dunno. He’s young. This is the first department he’s been in charge of. Perhaps he’s eager to make a mark. Could cut projects that are draining resources but haven’t paid off yet,” Blaise said. “It’s what you’d do.”

“Possibly. But not on the first day,” Draco said as they stepped into the large, spacious room. 

“Maybe he won’t be so bad,” Blaise then said lightly. Draco snorted, not even dignifying the remark with a proper response.

Many of their teammates were already standing in the gathering spot in the middle of the room that was sectioned off into various offices and workspaces, crisp white work robes pressed to perfection. Draco resisted the urge to roll his eyes. They were far too eager to make a good impression on the new boss and it was annoying. 

He walked over to his own office which was the largest and off in a corner, putting his case down under one of the tables and started glancing over a few potions he had left to air over the weekend. There was no set dress code for the department as they spent most of their day covered in the lab robes, but Draco didn’t let that stop him from dressing immaculately. He pulled slightly on his suit sleeve and then glanced down at himself, pleased with the overall effect.

He had intentionally chosen this particular suit. It was tailored to fit him to perfection and made him more intimidating. Draco was out to send a message today. 

Keeping to himself, he heard as more and more people poured into the main lab, their excited babble starting to reach an annoying level. He hoped this little welcome party didn’t drag on too long and take up too much of his time. He didn’t like to be kept from his work.

“Hey, Dr-Malfoy.”

He turned from his work, seeing Susan Bones standing in his doorway, fidgeting slightly. They had been working in the same department for the last two years, but honestly, he barely spoke to her. But she always seemed to be there in the periphery.

“Bones,” he said, stepping towards her.

“So, what do you think of this new boss business?” she asked. Draco shrugged, not about to let on that he was upset in any way.

“Suppose we’ll have to see what he brings to the table,” he replied nonchalantly.

“If it helps, I really thought the position should have been yours,” she said timidly. “Really.”

“Thanks.”

“If I could have your attention, please!” 

Draco looked behind Susan and then walked over, leaning against the frame casually as the head of HR - Richard White - smiled brightly around the room. Susan walked over to stand with her friends, though she continued shooting looks at him. Draco glanced around, trying to locate De Loughrey, but not seeing any unfamiliar faces.

“As you all know, we have spent the last several months carefully considering who would replace Watkins as head of the Potions Research Department. He’s left some rather large shoes to fill and we only wanted the best,” White said. Draco couldn’t help but snort softly to himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Blaise send him an amused look.

“We were pleased when our first choice agreed to join us here. I’m sure most of you have heard of O. A. De Loughery and we are beyond honored to have her as part of the Potions Research team,” White continued. “I do hope you make her feel welcomed. Now, allow me to introduce your new head - Olivia De Loughery.”

Draco frowned, pushing off the frame. Her? He looked over at Blaise, who seemed equally as intrigued by this development. A smirk graced Draco’s face as he turned back, unable to make out the woman as she was currently surrounded by people eager to speak to her. 

This would be far easier than he thought. All he had to do was seduce her and then he’d learn all her dirty secrets so that he could use them against her. While Draco didn’t really play around, he certainly knew how to lay on the charm when necessary. 

For a moment, his mind wandered to Liv and a slight shudder of desire ran through him. He then scolded himself. He needed to be focused.

Draco started towards White and De Loughery, making out the top of her blonde head in the midst of the crowd. He was already wearing a sauve smirk as he smoothed out the front of his suit and caught White’s eye. 

But as the crowd parted, Draco froze, his heart stopping in his chest as De Loughery turned and locked eyes with him. He wasn’t sure how he was faring with keeping the shock off his face, but she was clearly an expert. There was only the slight widening of her eyes before she managed to smooth her expression out into a warm smile.

Standing before him in a smart, expensive black robe set, her hair pulled back in a tasteful bun, was none other than Liv. 

“Ah, yes! Please, let me introduce you to one of our shining stars. This is Draco Malfoy - he leads most of the projects in the experimental department. Very successful,” White rambled.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Malfoy,” Liv said smoothly, holding her hand out. “I must say your work is rather impressive.” Draco looked down at it, managing to recover before White noticed anything off. He then looked back up, easily falling back into his usual smirk as he shook her head.

“Oh, the pleasure is all mine, Ms. De Loughery,” he replied. Liv raised her eyebrows slightly, but before she could say anything further, she was being led away and introduced to the others. Draco retreated to his doorway, watching her closely with steely eyes as he ignored the look of confusion Blaise was currently giving him. 

What the hell? What were the odds that the very woman he had an incredibly hot tryst with over the weekend was his new boss? She had played so coy, but Draco was certain she had known who he was. But why seduce him? Was this some sort of power play? Some twisted method of asserting dominance over him? Well, two could play that game.

But even with his anger growing by the second, he couldn’t stop some of the steamy memories from their night together as they flinted through his mind.

Tangling his fingers in her hair. The feel of her skin against his. The noise she made when he slid in and out of her.

Draco suddenly shook his head, looking to the ground as the frustration continued to build.

_ Keep it together,  _ he urged himself. The absolute last thing he needed was to get an erection in front of everyone. Blast that woman and the effect she had on him.

He looked back up in time to see Liv standing in the middle of the room, looking around at everyone with a bright smile, though Draco swore her gaze lingered on him longer than the others.

“I just wanted to say that I am eager to get to know each of you. I’ve been going over your past work and I must say that this is a very impressive department - especially one that is so young,” she said loudly and clearly, her confidence draped around her like a cloak. “Over the next few weeks I intend to spend a lot of time getting to know you better and really diving into what you’re working on. See where we can make improvements and such. I really hope that we can come together as a team. Anyway, thank you for this wonderful welcome and I look forward to seeing what we’re capable of together.”

“I knew it. She’s going to assess our work and then cut projects,” Blaise hissed to Draco, finally settling from his back and forth into disliking her, though Draco wasn’t so sure what his reasoning was.

Rather than respond, Draco quickly started across the room, intending to stop her before she disappeared into her large office at the back.

“If I might have a word, Ms. De Loughrey,” Draco said smoothly, his expression betraying nothing. Liv stopped and glanced back at him, her perfectly formed eyebrows raised in amusement. She finally sighed and motioned for him to follow her into her office.

“Very well, Mr. Malfoy,” she said resignedly, though Draco swore he heard a hint of laughter in her voice. Blaise shot him a confused look that he ignored as he followed her into her office. For a moment he stopped and looked around, slightly impressed with how quickly she had changed everything and wondering just when she had done so. There were a couple bookshelves filled to the brim with books on all sorts of plant and potion topics. 

Though it struck him as odd that there was no potions set. Watkins always preferred to work on his own here. Was she intending to steal everyone’s glory rather than work for it herself?

The walls were a light taupe, making the entire room feel warm, airy and much larger than it actually was, which was a feat. And while it wasn’t frilly in the slightest, it had a far more feminine appeal to it than before. There were several plants about and large colorful paintings on the walls that were shockingly still. The entire office while neat, appeared as though it had always been as it was and though it had been empty on Friday.

Perhaps she had come in yesterday after she left his townhouse.

His thoughts then began traveling to Saturday night, and he turned, frowning at Liv as she pulled off her outer robe and hung it on a stand behind her desk, revealing a smart, tailored white blouse and thin black tie that she wore with tailored black trousers. With her blonde hair pulled back into a stylish, low bun, a few wavy tendrils left loose around her face, he struggled to reconcile this woman - who was dressed rather conservatively, though still managed to look particularly fit - with the woman he had met in a random bar over the weekend. Likely because she was far more covered up.

Draco, once again, shoved those thoughts aside. This was the mysterious O. A. De Loughrey that he had been fighting against for several months. A person he considered an archnemesis though they had never met until now. His brain was working overtime to try and make sense of it all.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Malfoy? Or should I say Draco?” she asked, a smirk appearing after she had waved her wand and shut the door to her office. 

Draco’s eyes narrowed as he glared at her, feeling his anger begin to simmer through him. Part of him worried for a moment what this could look like. Marching up to the new boss - who was rather young and attractive - on her first day and demanding to speak with her privately. The rumor mill of the department would no doubt be picking up speed at the moment.

But for the moment, he didn’t care as he struggled to settle on a starting point.

“What the hell is going on?” he nearly growled, though managed to keep his voice somewhat in check. He couldn’t help but feel as though she had lied to him.

And this was meant to be his job, after all.

Liv smiled as she sat down behind the large desk and crossed her arms.

“I’m just as shocked as you are,” she said lightly.

“Forgive me if you don’t look it,” he replied. Liv sighed and sat up. “Merlin, not only are you apparently some famous potioneer with a bank account the size of Ireland, you’re my fucking boss.” 

Liv winced at his words, her smile sliding off her face as she slowly rose from her chair, now frowning at him.

“Look, I didn’t know who you were that night, otherwise I sure as hell wouldn’t have gone home with you. It’s not like you offered up that much information about yourself,” she shot back. Draco laughed harshly.

“And I’m supposed to believe that?” he asked. “You said yourself that you’ve seen my work.”   


“Yes. Reports. Papers. That only had a name - D. Malfoy,” she spat. “How was I supposed to know that you were, well you! Unlike some people in that circle, I don’t really pay much attention to the society pages.” 

There was a hint of bitterness in her voice that Draco suddenly connected with. Hadn’t he spent the years after the war distancing himself from the same ilk. His frown softened slightly as he studied her. Sure she was dressed expensively, but there was something about her that didn’t exactly come off as someone who grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth. Which was odd considering the De Loughreys were just as rich and pureblood and traditional as his own family.

Draco suddenly found himself conflicted. He wanted to be angry with her - he had planned to destroy her and take her job just moments ago, had he not? But now, seeing that small bit of vulnerability about her was making him second guess himself. 

“So… what do you propose about… this?” he asked, motioning between the two of them. Might as well get that out of the way. 

Liv -er, Olivia, no De Loughrey? - relaxed slightly. A smile appeared and she seemed to seamlessly shift her demeanor.

“At least that’s easy. It was just one night, Draco. That’s all it was meant to be,” she said, walking to the edge of the desk and picking up a piece of parchment, looking it over. 

Draco frowned again, unsure of how he felt. Was she dismissing him? Had she not enjoyed it as much as he had? He thought she had. 

Wait, but what about his plan to seduce her and get all her secrets? He would need to re-strategize. Liv- no De Loughrey - was brilliant, it appeared, and would easily pick up on his intentions if he didn’t play it right.

“I mean… I’m your boss, after all, and it would be highly inappropriate not to mention against company policy. Besides, it wasn’t easy for me to get this position and I’d rather not do anything to jeopardize it,” she continued. “Some prick was trying to disprove all my work and making it extra hard to prove myself capable of the job to all of the old farts in HR.”

Draco’s eyebrows rose in surprise that his tactics had worked somewhat. He then appeared more casual, though Liv didn’t look up from the parchments to notice.

“Right, so… co-workers and nothing more,” Draco said. She looked up at him. 

“Think you mean subordinate and superior,” she said, starting to smile. Once again, Draco felt annoyance swarm through him, though it was mixed oddly with desire. She certainly knew how to push all his buttons. 

_ In more ways than one… _

Draco groaned internally as his thoughts once again seemed to drift into dangerous territory. If this continued, he was going to need to pop home for a cold shower or wank during lunch. Fuck, how was he supposed to work with her now?

“Right,” he said. “And we shouldn’t mention this to anyone.” 

“That would be preferable, as would be calling me Olivia or Ms. De Loughrey rather than Liv. At least for the time being,” Olivia said, already looking through the parchment again. “That’s all.” 

Draco’s eyes widened slightly at her dismissal before he huffed and spun around, leaving the door to her office open behind him as he stalked over to his office, his face clearly reading that he didn’t want to talk to anyone.

It should have come as no surprise to find Blaise in his office, leaning against his desk, his feet crossed at the ankle and an expectant look on his face.

“So anything you care to share?” he asked, a curious look on his face. “Namely why you wanted first dibs on speaking privately with the new boss?”

“Not really,” Draco said, pushing him aside as he studied his work. “Just wanted to let her know where I stand on things.” Blaise regarded this a moment before nodding. He started to walk out of the office, but stopped, turning back to Draco.

“By the way, think over asking Nott to help find the bird from Saturday?” he asked. 

Draco walked over to his coat rack, pulling his suit jacket off and hanging it up.

“I told you. It was a fling. One night. And there’s nothing I’d be able to find with just a first name anyway,” he said. He glanced over at Blaise, hoping the bastard wasn’t putting two and two together at that very moment.

“Shame,” Blaise finally said with a heavy sigh before turning and walking out of Draco’s office.

Draco breathed a sigh of relief as he turned to his work. At least that would get his mind off his completely aggravating, insanely attractive boss that he just knew was going to end up driving him mad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I had posted this chapter, but realized I didn't. So you get two chapters in one go! And I'm nearly finished writing this one. Been a bit obsessed with it, actually...


	4. Declaring War

**Declaring War**

_ I’m falling... _

Draco held his breath as he gave the liquid in his cauldron one, two, three counter-clockwise stirs and then stepped back slightly, waiting anxiously. The last time he had gotten this far in the concoction, it had chosen to explode and it took him hours to get the sticky remnants out of everything and nearly ruined all his notes. There were still residual mud green stains on most of them.

For the last few years he had devoted himself to working on potions that affected the mind. Namely, that when taken would protect the user from magic aimed at controlling the mind. While ultimately he hoped to develop it to protect against dark magic such as the Imperius Curse, for the time being he hoped to find a way to block the most basic of memory charms, figuring that was as good as any place to start.

The liquid continued swirling, slowly changing from forest green to a light, mint color. Happy that it hadn’t exploded this time, he breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to his notebook, bending over to write his observations down, though he kept a steady eye on the simmering potion.

When he was locked up in his lab, it was almost as though nothing had changed. He could pretend that Watkins was in his office and he had never been looked over for a promotion that clearly should have been his. It had been a few days since Liv, er, Olivia - no, De Loughrey - started but Draco had rarely seen her. She seemed to be taking her vow seriously and spent most of her day going to every lab on the floor and getting briefings of each and every project that was underway.

She was diving into a hands on approach, it seemed, and thankfully had yet to make it to his office.

There had been whispers going around. Some thought she was absolutely lovely, though rather serious. Others thought she was an arrogant know-it-all who rattled off every minute imperfection. Susan Bones had gone on about her for a good 20 minutes before Draco had to walk away because he was annoyed. Draco wasn’t sure which to believe, though it wasn’t as though he had any clue as to who Olivia actually was, despite their intimate encounter. 

She hadn’t shared anything about herself that night and neither had he, though since she started at the Ministry, he had taken a bit of time to look into her. The eldest child of Oliver De Loughrey seemed to be a mystery, with not much out there in the New York society pages on her - all references were in journals in regards to her work which he found odd considering there was an abundance of photos and articles on her younger sister and brother. Maybe she was more private than they were? Though Draco knew hiding away from the wizarding media was no small undertaking when one had a powerful last name. Or infamous.

Perhaps he should ask his mother next time he saw her. Narcissa Malfoy had a near perfect recollection of just about every pureblood family both in the United Kingdom and New York, where the De Loughreys hailed from. But then he remembered her slight Southern accent from that night.

People in New York didn’t speak like that, did they?

Draco stopped writing, frowning as he looked at the potion. He had done it again. Allowed himself to get off wondering about his new boss rather than focus on his work. Though, thankfully it wasn’t one of the more sordid fantasies that had passed through his mind this time.

“Bloody focus,” he muttered to himself. “Doesn’t matter.”

“What doesn’t matter?” 

Thankful that he hadn’t jumped or started at the sound of her voice, he collected himself before turning around and seeing De Loughrey standing in the doorway to his office, a clipboard held tight to her chest and a friendly smile on her face. 

She had shed her outer robe and had the sleeves to her green blouse rolled up to her elbows. While her hair was pulled back in a low pony-tail and there were flecks of some sort of substance still stuck in the strands that framed her face (probably made someone nervous and they did a potion wrong), she still managed to look fashionable and put together. 

_ Just like every other pureblood witch _ , he couldn’t help but think ruefully.

“Just something with my work,” he said lightly. De Loughrey nodded and looked at his notebook and other parchments spread out on the table and then over at the cauldron.

“May I?” she asked, remaining in the doorway, though she pointed towards the cauldron. 

“By all means,” Draco said, stepping aside and sweeping his arm out. He was determined to prove that he could be professional around her. Draco Malfoy did not lose his head. Not for a woman. Even one was vexing as Olivia De Loughrey. 

De Loughrey walked in and peered down at the contents, saying nothing and betraying nothing. She sniffed it a bit and then walked over to the notes strewn about the counters of his workspace.

“What are you working on?” she asked.

“Potion to protect the mind,” he replied, feeling rather proud of himself. He had been working up to this over the last year or so, with various other potions. De Loughrey glanced at him over her shoulder and then looked back at the notes. 

“You are very detailed,” she said, starting to flip through them. “Though… your methods are a bit all over the place…” Draco frowned. Sure they weren’t absolutely perfect, but that was the point of research, was it not? Keep trying until something worked? “What in particular are you attempting to protect the mind from?”

“Magic,” Draco said, as though it was obvious. De Loughrey turned around and leaned back against the table, fixing him in a calculating stare, her smile long gone. “At the moment, memory charms. Though I’m hoping to make variants that protect from various spells. Including ultimately the Imperius Curse.” 

“How long have you been working on this?” she asked.

“This one in particular, several months,” he replied. “Though I’ve been focusing on this sort of thing for a few years now.” 

“And you’ve yet to get a viable potion?” she then asked. Draco felt his annoyance start to grow. Things like this took time and patience. He thought he was rather ahead of schedule. And Watkins never used to grill him on his work, trusting that he knew what he was doing. Which he did.

“Still working on it,” he said. “Been having some issues with explosions.” De Loughrey nodded slowly and turned back around to look at his notes.

“Probably because you’re mixing in too much Abraxon hair, which can be explosive with some of your other ingredients,” she said, picking up a sheet. “And it might be more useful to dry and then grind up the Adder’s tongue rather than put it in whole.” 

Draco remained silent, starting to seethe as she methodically went through his work, pointing out everything - in her opinion - that he was doing wrong. How would she know? This was an all-new, experimental potion. He hadn’t even gotten to the testing stage yet, well, on humans anyway. There was no way this infuriating woman would have a clue as to what he was doing wrong when he himself had yet to figure it out.

“But these are just some tips. Feel free to disregard them,” she said with an easy smile as she put the page down. She then turned and started towards the doorway. 

Draco narrowed his eyes at her back, not wanting to let her have the last word. First, she had taken his job and now she was going to rip his life’s work apart? But at the same time, for one of the only times in his life, Draco was at a loss as to what to say. He had nothing.

That’s when he realized that he could still put in play his plan. He could get to know her and find something - anything - that he could use to take her down. Just needed to find the right approach. 

“Thank you for your considerate feedback,” he said smoothly. De Loughrey stopped and looked back at him, her expression clearing saying that she didn’t for one second believe him. “I will take it into advisement.”

“Just don’t blow up my lab,” she said dryly before turning and walking out. Draco narrowed his eyes. 

Huffing, he turned, eager to get back to work and show her that she was wrong. 

~~~

By Friday, Draco was ready to completely annihilate De Loughrey. How could he have ever found her attractive and addicting that night? All feelings of desire for her had quickly faded away, though they were now replaced with the desire to get her out of the Ministry. 

But the only problem with that was that he had yet to find anything useful. All her work that he had looked over was nearly flawless. But he knew that there must be something. Everyone had skeletons in their closet, surely. Perhaps he would visit his mother this weekend.

“Draco, seriously? Is the new boss that bad?” Theo asked, getting his attention. He looked up from the glass of firewhiskey he had been nursing for the last half hour - or rather glaring at - to see his friend chuckling at him.

“Trust me, she’s a bitch,” Blaise said. “She spent nearly an hour in my office today, ‘walking me through’ a better way to dry out Asphodel. I’ve passed Snape’s potions class and been working in this field for nearly 10 years. I do not need patronizing.” 

Draco glanced over at Blaise as he took a sip of his drink.

“But even that’s not nearly as hard as she’s been riding Draco,” Blaise continued. Draco started for a moment, worried that Blaise knew. But then he gathered himself. Of course Blaise didn’t know. Couldn’t know. “Heard she made Fox cry.”

“Fox is a blubbering git,” Draco sneered, back to glaring at his drink. 

“Not to mention, apparently she told Bones to abandon her project completely. I told you she was going to be making cuts,” Blaise continued.

“That’s just a smart decision. Bones wasn’t working on anything revolutionary,” Draco said dryly, though he wasn’t sure why he was defending De Loughrey. “I’m not even sure how she got on the team in the first place.”

“What exactly has De Loughrey done do you?” Theo asked. Though he worked in the auror department, it was rather far removed from their floor and he was often out of the loop with things. Outside of what Draco and Blaise shared. 

“Thought Draco was going to lose it today. Ripped apart his entire formula and told him to start over,” Blaise said. Nott’s eyes widened as he looked back at Draco. 

“Says it’s for the good of the department. She only wants all of us to succeed,” Draco griped. “And that starting over would help me find a breakthrough. I’ve been bloody working on that particular formula for several months.”

“Surely it’s not that bad,” Theo said. Both Draco and Blaise scowled at him. “Sorry I asked…” 

“Mate, we’ve got to get rid of her,” Blaise said, looking to Draco.

“You think I haven’t already been thinking about it,” Draco said. “But her work is ironclad - so far as I’ve found.” He then sat up as an idea occurred to him. He looked over at Theo, a smile spreading across his face.

“What?” Theo asked. He looked from Draco over to Blaise, seeing a similar smile appear on his face. “No, I’m not going to do it.” 

“You’re a brilliant auror, Theo,” Blaise said. “Surely you can find something we can use.”

“I’m not investigating some poor woman because you two can’t get over yourselves,” Theo replied sternly.

“Not even to help your two best mates?” Blaise continued. Theo narrowed his eyes at them.

“No,” he said flatly. “She’s obviously brilliant and you two are behaving like children.”

“She’s a fucking nightmare,” Blaise retorted on the verge of whining. Draco looked over at him and then back at Theo, remaining calm. Blaise’s approach was not going to work, this he knew.

“This was meant to be my position,” he said vehemently. “Watkins promised.”

“Yea, well, we don’t always get what we want, do we?” Theo said. “I’m not going to do it.”

“Shame… if you don’t want to help us out of the goodness of your heart, don’t be surprised if a certain photo makes its way to the Prophet,” Blaise said casually, changing tactics. Draco glanced at him, slightly impressed. He wasn’t sure if he were willing to stoop that low to convince Theo.

Theo’s eyes widened a moment before they narrowed. 

“You wouldn’t. Margot would kill me,” he said. Blaise just shrugged.

“I wouldn’t - what kind of mate would I be? However, I do not currently know the whereabouts of said photograph,” he continued nonchalantly. “Would be rather unfortunate if it’s fallen into the wrong hands.” Theo glared at him a few moments.

“Fine,” he said. “I’ll help. But I’m not doing anything illegal. And if I find nothing, you’ve got to let it go.” He looked back and forth between the two.

“Promise,” Blaise said, grinning. 

“Same,” Draco echoed. Theo sighed and shook his head before dropping it into his hands.

“Why am I still friends with you two?” he moaned.

“Because you’d be lost without us,” Blaise said happily. “Now, we should figure a plan…”

~~~

Draco couldn’t help but whistle to himself as he strolled through the Alley towards his townhouse. He could have easily apparated, but wanted to enjoy the weather. They had come up with the basics of a plot and he felt better knowing they at least had a direction to head in.

He wouldn’t have to deal with De Loughrey much longer if things worked out. And finally he’d get the recognition he deserved.

Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he stopped, looking over into a quaint little pub. Frowning, he recognized the group of annoying Gryffindors - the one Weasel twin left alive had his arm slung around some bird. Just next to them, the ruddy keeper that graduated their third year grinned at whoever Weasel was pawing. He then recognized the other older members of the old Gryffindor team.

Weasel then leaned back, providing him a view of the woman. Draco’s eyes widened in surprise as De Loughrey leaned into him, laughing loudly. Her hair was down, while her blouse was undone a bit at the top. Wood was staring at her like she was a bloody goddess.

Something began burning in Draco’s stomach as he continued watching the scene. De Loughrey seemed completely relaxed and open as she turned back to Oliver and said something that had him chuckling as he reached for his beer, leaning closer to her, his lips moving.

Bloody hell, was she seducing the both of them at the same time? But wasn’t Weasel with what’s her face? He thought they got married a few years ago and had kids. Ah, there she was on the other side of Weasel Twin, laughing. 

What was her game? And could he use it against her? Maybe she was just another slag. He wasn’t sure if it would be useful, but perhaps...

De Loughrey continued grinning as she reached for her glass and held it up. The entire group brought their own glasses in for the toast.

Draco turned away, his good mood now soured. Though he wasn’t sure why he was so angry about De Loughrey out having a good time. Seemed fitting that she had fallen into a group of Gryffindors - there was nothing that annoyed him more than a bloody Gryffindor save her - and he wondered if they had been the friends she abandoned that night to go off with him. 

_ Fucking, bloody De Loughrey _ , he seethed to himself.

He had to find a way to take her down and get her out of his job  _ and _ mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter as promised... Just finished editing chapter 17 out of 20, so should be able to get everything posted in the next few days (hopefully). And seriously... the amount of research I did on potions and ingredients for this one. Still think I fucked it up, but eh? At some point you have to draw a line...


	5. Mother Dearest

**Mother Dearest**

_ There’s no escape… _

Draco followed the house elf through the large manor towards his mother’s favourite sitting room. He shuddered slightly as they walked past a set of shut double doors, trying not to allow his memories to go back to the dark times when his family had hosted the Dark Lord. He was honestly surprised that they hadn’t been thrown into Azkaban with the rest of the Death Eaters when it was all said and done. But then again, he knew all too well that money could fix a variety of problems. Even with the new government.

And rebuilding the wizarding world had required a lot of money, which they gladly took from the Malfoys as so-called fines for their transgressions rather than throwing them into Azkaban.

And they had turned away from the Death Eaters in the end. Draco was surprised to hear that his mother had lied about Potter being dead. Then prior to that, he had lied to his crazy aunt about who the Golden Trio had been. He hadn’t thought it much in the scheme of things, but it had gone a long way in convincing the tribunal that had been set up to deal specifically with the Death Eaters not to send them off to prison - that they were capable of making amends. And he supposed Potter speaking out on their behalf had helped as well. Draco still wasn’t sure why he had done it - they certainly hadn’t asked him to. But perhaps the Boy Who Lived felt he owed them something, which only annoyed Draco more. Because then  _ he _ felt like he owed Potter something in return.

Either way, Draco didn’t often dwell on it. He was grateful not to be in Azkaban. But that didn’t mean he was going to be best friends with Potter, the Weasels or Granger. He went out of his way to avoid them when at the Ministry, as it was. Though Theo always said Potter was a good bloke, now that they were working together. Didn’t hold it against him for being in Slytherin and all the blood purity bullshit, though Draco knew that Theo never really subscribed to it. He played the part well in front of others and his father, but had worked against it behind the scenes in ways that Draco was not aware of until afterwards.

Regardless, despite the memories the manor conjured up, that was not the purpose of his visit today. Though Draco decided to get the fact-finding part over and done with so he could leave quickly. He didn’t like being here.

“Draco,” his mother said as she turned upon his entry. He smiled and walked over, kissing her cheek.

“Mother,” he replied as they sat down and another house elf brought in tea. He glanced around the room, noticing his father wasn’t there. “How’s Father today?”

“You know how he is. He has good days and bad. Today is not so great,” she said, her voice calm and even, though her eyes betrayed a certain worry. The war had aged Narcissa Malfoy, though she was still dressed impeccably, her makeup done to perfection.

Lucius Malfoy, on the other hand, had been left broken and spent his days hiding in the manor. While Draco was relieved he didn’t have to speak or deal with him - there was a certain level of animosity still felt for the man who had dragged his entire family down with him when he joined Voldemort - he knew that his mother worried constantly about him. And for that, Draco worried. There was only so much one could handle and he often wondered just what would be his mother’s breaking point. 

But for her part, Narcissa had long played the role of dutiful wife and pureblood witch. It was easy for her to stick to it, though she certainly didn’t go to as many events as before where she would have to perform for the others. Or any, really.

In a way, Draco found it ironic. In the past there wasn’t an event the Malfoys didn’t get invited to. But now, most avoided them at all costs. 

“So what brings you here today?” she asked. “Not that I’m not thrilled to see you. Just unusual for you to stop by randomly.” She fixed her son in a studying look. “Things going well with Watkin’s replacement?” 

“That’s actually why I’ve come by,” Draco said, reaching for his tea. “I’m curious. What do you know about the De Loughreys?” Narcissa raised her eyebrows at him, smiling slightly.

“They’re one of the oldest pureblood families in New York,” she said. “Old money as well. Though I know Oliver De Loughrey does well for himself. Owns an import and export business, I believe… They’ve got three children, though the eldest is a bit media shy. The younger two are always out and about at various events. And I know Lucinda certainly gets around the charity circuit…”

Draco didn’t say anything, allowing his mother to continue prattling on about various little facts just about anyone with a newspaper would know or find out about the De Loughreys. It wasn’t anything that he found particularly useful. Or interesting.

“Ah, yes but I remember there was a bit of a scandal about the eldest…” Narcissa said. Draco sat up in his chair. A scandal could be useful. “Yes… she didn’t come to live with them until she was 10 or 11, I believe. The product of a love affair between Oliver and his school sweetheart before he married Lucinda.” 

“Is that so?” Draco asked, finding the information curious. Though it would explain the edge in De Loughrey’s voice in her office her first day.

“Yes, I’m afraid I don’t know what happened to her poor mother. But suddenly, there was another De Loughrey child. Loralai Flint knows Lucinda - I believe they’re cousins or something - and she said that Lucinda threw a fit. Didn’t know a thing about it, though apparently neither did Oliver until then,” Narcissa said. “And then next thing you know, he shows up with this little girl, saying that she’s his. Lucinda fought him on it, but there was no denying that she was his daughter.” 

“That’s… interesting,” he said, thinking it over.

“In some ways, one could find it fortunate. Suddenly taken in by a rich and influential family. Though… sometimes I wonder if it was,” Narcissa said. Draco frowned, not understanding.

“Why do you say that?” he asked. Narcissa put down her cup and looked over at him.

“Well, she had spent her whole life growing up one way up to that point. Thinking life was this. Then suddenly, you’re taken from everything you know and told that life is completely different,” she said rationally. “I’m sure it is quite a lot for a young child to take in.”

“I suppose I could see that,” Draco replied. 

Though he wasn’t sure how any of this helped in his endeavor to get rid of De Loughrey, it was something to file away and think about. If anything, it might help him to understand her a bit more. 

“Now tell me, how is your new potion coming along…”

~~~

Draco thought over what his mother had told him as he went into the office. He hadn’t intended to work that day - being Saturday and all - but he needed to clear his mind and usually work did just that. 

It was curious hearing about De Loughrey’s background and a small part of him felt slightly guilty about doing so behind her back. But he then reminded himself that there was a purpose to this. And it’s not like it was some secret. Anyone could find it out with relative ease if they wanted to. If his mother knew, then it was likely the entire pureblood society in New York did as well.

He stopped as he stepped into the main lab, guilt twisting around in his stomach. Which was altogether odd for him. Did he really want to take her job? After learning what he had. It seemed De Loughrey had a difficult go of things. But then again, she had been given everything. Taken in by a rich family. Sent to the most prestigious school of magic in the United States - Salem Witches’ Institute. Apprenticed with some of the most renown U.S. potion masters. 

She had gotten everything. But she wasn’t going to get this. This position was his.

Noise from the back gained his attention and Draco looked up, seeing De Loughrey sitting at her desk in her office, dressed casually with her hair pulled up in a messy bun, music playing from a wireless. She appeared to be doing paperwork. Not wanting to alert her to his arrival, he quickly ducked into his office, contemplating just leaving right then and there. The last thing he wanted was to be locked up in the office with De Loughrey alone.

“Draco?”

Groaning quietly, he turned, seeing De Loughrey standing in his doorway. It infuriated him that she insisted on using his given name - even though she seemed to be doing that with everyone.

“I thought that was you,” she said, smiling warmly. Though why, he had no idea. “I wanted to talk to you alone.”

“Very well,” he said, his annoyance clear. “Talk.” She winced slightly, but maintained the hopeful look on her face.

It was bloody aggravating.

“I just wanted to apologize,” she said. Apologize? This was odd. Whatever for? Did she know that Watkins had intended him to succeed him? “About, well, everything. I know it’s probably not easy working with me as your boss after… well… you know.  _ That. _ But I do hope that we can get along. And I want us to work well together. Professionally speaking...” 

“I… what?” he asked, confused. De Loughrey chuckled.

“I admit, it’s been… interesting… for me. Adjusting and such. But I hope we can put it behind us,” she said, taking a step towards him. Her expression was open and earnest. Though he couldn’t fathom why.

For a moment, he was taken back to that night. The flirting. The innuendos. 

The mind-blowing sex.

Shaking his head, Draco tried to focus his thoughts on the here and now, though part of him was tempted to grab her, thrown her on his desk and fuck her brains out. Again. But he couldn’t do that. She was his boss. They had set rather firm boundaries and at the moment she didn’t seem the slightest bit interested in him in that way.

“It’s… fine,” he said. “Nothing to worry about from me. I can keep things professional.” De Loughrey smiled and nodded, appearing relieved. 

“I was wondering… do you mind if I sit in on your work? I really am interested in it,” she said, motioning to his work table. Draco glanced at it and back at her, sighing heavily.

“I suppose,” he replied, though it was the last thing he wanted to do. But he wasn’t sure how to get her out of his office. 

De Loughrey walked over and sat on a stool, eagerly waiting for him to start. He pulled off his blazer and hung it up, rolling up the sleeves to his shirt as he looked over his workstation. She didn’t say anything, just waited, her blue eyes fixed on him.

He stepped over to his notes, picking them up and going over them where he had left off yesterday. He then put them down and stepped to his cauldron, pulling out his wand and waving it, a fire starting up underneath it.

“Where are you now?” De Loughrey finally asked. Draco glanced at her and then back at the concoction. It had turned a pale blue overnight. 

“I was going to add armadillo bile,” he said.

“Used in wit-sharpening potion,” De Loughrey murmured as she hopped off the stool and walked up to the table. “Interesting.” Draco raised an eyebrow at her and then returned to work, starting to prepare the bile. 

She didn’t say anything, just watched. It was a first. All week she had been quick to point out areas where she thought he could be making a mistake. As he continued working, he nearly forgot she was there.

He then stepped back, pulling De Loughrey with him as he raised his wand and waved it. The bile rose up into the air, then hovered over the now simmering cauldron. Draco took a deep breath and then waved his wand again, now holding his breath. The bile poured into the cauldron, causing it to flare up a bit and turn a brilliant blue. 

After a few moments, he stepped closer and peered down, seeing that it had settled. He smiled, happy with the reaction.

“How do you know it’ll work?” De Loughrey asked. 

“I test after every ingredient added,” Draco said. “Though it needs to simmer a bit.” De Loughrey nodded and looked around, finding a cage with mice in it by his desk. 

“How close do you think you are to finishing it?” she asked. Draco kept his back to her as he pulled out his notebook and began writing in it.

“I’m not sure,” he said, wishing she would stop asking questions so he could concentrate. 

“But you think you’re making good headway?” she then asked.

“Would be making more headway without the interruptions,” he said, his voice a bit sharp.

“Ah… sorry…”

Draco finished writing and then went over to the cage, pulling out a mouse and then walked back to the main worktable. He sat the mouse down in a clear glass tank, then got a stopper. Carefully pulling out some of the potion, he then picked up the mouse, feeding it a small amount.

He then stepped back, picking up his wand again. 

“But… how do you know? Not like the mice can talk,” De Loughrey asked. Draco glanced at her and back at the mouse. 

“I do a full diagnostic spell on it,” he said, watching as the mouse ran around in the tank. After a few minutes where it didn’t die or anything else happened, he waved his wand, casting a simple memory charm. The mouse froze for a moment and started investigating around the tank, almost as though it didn’t remember how it got there in the first place. Draco stepped closer, De Loughrey moving with him. He ran through the diagnostic spell, though he was fairly sure of the result before with how the mouse was acting. 

Sighing, he ran his fingers through his hair and sat down on a stool, staring at the mouse. He was sure this would have at least helped a bit. But no. The mouse had completely lost all memory from the last five minutes. 

“Maybe not enough armadillo bile?” De Loughrey suggested as she studied the mouse.

“Or too much,” he replied, frowning. “I’ll need a fresh batch to start over with.”

“Or perhaps you’re missing something else,” De Loughrey suggested. Draco shot her a look but then returned to staring at the mouse. “What else were you thinking of adding?”

“Boom berry,” he said, tilting his head to the side. “There’s also this rare flower that only grows in the Highlands that I want to get my hands on, but the paperwork has been maddening.”

“Night Heather,” De Loughrey said. Draco looked over at her, slightly impressed. “I saw the forms.” He turned to face her. Ah, that explained it then.

“Are you going to help me procure it?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her. 

Not only was it rare, but not a lot was known about it other than if used improperly - and it almost always was - it had rather disastrous effects, hence trade of it was highly regulated. He had been trying to get some for months, sure that it would be the missing ingredient he needed.

De Loughrey frowned as she looked back at the cauldron.

“I don’t know… there’s only so much I can do. We need to go through the regulations department, and even then, you’ll have to prove that it most definitely is necessary for the potion to work,” she said.

“Well, how can I do that if I can’t test it to see that it is, indeed, the ingredient that I need?” he asked testily. De Loughrey looked at him, frowning.

“Hey, not my fault. I’m just the messenger,” she shot back.

“You’re also the head of this entire department. It’s your job to help me,” he replied. “Unless that was all talk.” De Loughrey narrowed her eyes at him.

“I’ll do what I can,” she said before turning and stalking out of his office. Draco sighed, relieved to have her out of his hair. 

He walked over and picked up the mouse, gently holding it in his hand as he looked the creature over. There wasn’t much else he could do for today. He walked the mouse over and put it back in the cage with the others before walking back to his notebook and jotting down his observations and the number assigned to the mouse so he would know not to use it next time.

He then took to cleaning up his space. He made sure to bottle up some of the potion, clearly marking which version it was on the label at the front, then set it on a shelf with all the other iterations of it. Once that was done, he waved his wand, watching as the remnants of the potion disappeared from his cauldron before he put it up in the storage space beneath the table. 

He then went over his stock of ingredients, checking to see if there were any he needed to restock before he left. Deeming everything well, he grabbed his blazer and pulled it on, stepping out of this office. Draco paused and looked back, seeing the door to De Loughrey’s office shut, though she seemed to be concentrating on some paperwork, chewing on her bottom lip as her brow furrowed.

Hopefully she was making good on her word, he thought as he turned and walked out. Though part of him didn’t expect her to. He knew how difficult it was to get Night Heather - Watkins had been trying on his behalf before he left. It was another reason Draco had wanted the position. So that he could finally get his hands on the flower. 

If De Loughrey couldn’t get it, he was going to have to find more creative ways about getting his hands on it. While Draco wasn’t particularly fond of going that route, there had been a few times in the past that he turned to the black market to get things he needed. He always covered his tracks well, but it was dangerous. Should someone at the Ministry find ou

But hopefully it wouldn’t come to that. Draco’s thoughts then turned to De Loughrey. She hadn’t been as aggressive that day and seemed genuinely interested in his work. But then again, that was her job, wasn’t it? To oversee all the potions and projects. 

But for a moment, Draco considered that she might be interested in his work for other reasons. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'm far enough ahead in writing, and I really wanted to get to the chapter from Liv's point of view. And... wine... those are my excuses.


	6. Fighting

**Fighting**

_ I can’t wait… _

Liv stood in her office, looking over more paperwork. It seemed there was an unending amount of paperwork to do in this job, which she knew before she took it. Though she hadn’t realized just how much or how it would keep her from doing what she really wanted - overseeing projects and working on her own.

Specifically, overseeing Draco’s research.

It would be ground-breaking once he got it right and could be adapted for a number of applications in various fields. But it was taking a long time, which was to be expected. Potions that had anything to do with the brain were complicated and had to be worked on carefully, lest they do some sort of permanent damage. If anyone knew that, she did.

“Do you realize just how vexing you are?”

Liv’s eyebrows rose as she turned, seeing Draco leaning against the frame of her door, his grey eyes lit up with mischief as a small smirk graced his face. God, why did he always have to smirk? It made it that much harder to forget about that night.

“Excuse me?” she replied, glancing out behind him. What would the others say if they overheard him? She thought she had made it clear their relationship was now professional and nothing more. She certainly hadn’t done anything to encourage him. “I thought I told you we’re supposed to be professional,” she then hissed, stepping closer to him.

“And you’re telling me that right now - in this moment - you aren’t thinking of anything decidedly  _ unprofessional _ that we could do?” he asked, pushing off the frame and stepping into her office.

“Draco!” she hissed again, backing away from him as her office door flew shut. “I told you - it was one night.”

“We both know that we want more than just one night,” he said, still slowly walking towards her. “Merlin, whenever we’re working together in my small office, all I can think about is slamming the door shut and then taking you on my desk.” 

Liv came to a stop, now backed up against her desk as Draco rested a hand on either side of her, boxing her in. As if she could move anyway. Her legs felt as though they were glued to the ground and her eyes were trained on his, his face mere inches from hers. And yes - every time she was in there, the thought of him ripping her clothes off and taking her on his desk had gone through her head at least once. 

But that didn’t make it any less wrong.

“We… we can’t,” she said, willing her voice to be stronger. “It’s against policy-”

“There are no rules here,” Draco said softly, his breath warm on her face. The sound nearly made her buckle as it sent shivers running up and down her spine, heat beginning to pool in her core. Fuck, she was already wet and he hadn’t even touched her. “I can see it in your eyes, you know. You want me just as much as I want you.”

He didn’t move any closer, just hovered there as he stared into her eyes, waiting for her to make the next move. Liv gulped, sizing up her options. The door was shut. No one was here but the two of them anyway. No one would have to know.

“Fuck it,” she said, reaching up to grab him by his collar and pull him down to her, their lips crashing together. Immediately, she moaned, her body thanking her for giving in.

Draco gripped her waist roughly as he easily lifted her, plopping her down on the desk’s edge as he ran his tongue along her bottom lip. Liv obliged, allowing him in as he deepened the kiss. Without thinking, her legs spread and soon he was standing in between them, pressing his toned body up against hers. Another moan ran through her body as Draco’s lips left hers, leaving a hot trail across her cheek to the sensitive spot just behind her ear.

Somewhere in the back of her mind was a voice screaming to stop. That they could get caught. That she wasn’t supposed to be doing this. But it was too late. Now that things had started, Liv found that she couldn’t and didn’t want to stop them. She had been yearning for this from the first day she walked in and saw Draco in the office, her mind immediately going back to that steamy night over the weekend.

Her body had been begging her for release and there was only so much she could do for herself or even that toys could do. She needed to feel _ him _ .

“Draco,” she moaned softly, pulling him closer. She needed to feel all of him against her.

“Tell me what you want me to do,” he whispered before taking her earlobe between his lips, sucking on it. Her eyes nearly rolled back in her head. “I won’t do it until you tell me.”

Liv pushed him back slightly, meeting his eyes. 

“I want you to fuck me right now,” she said. A grin filled his face as he leaned towards her.

“Your wish is my command…”

~~~

Liv woke with a start, sitting straight up in her bed as she breathed heavily. Even though she knew she was at home alone and it was just a dream, she couldn’t help as tingles went up and down her body, everything fresh in her mind. 

Groaning, she flopped back on her bed, kicking at the comforter while staring up at the ceiling in the darkened room. She knew she shouldn’t have left with him that night in the bar. Impulsive decisions always brought trouble, which is why she often fought against them when they threatened to come up. Except in the lab. That was the one place she knew that she could trust her instincts. Though sometimes volatile and unstable, potions were still easier to understand than people. And men. 

And Draco Malfoy was proving that he was trouble with a capital T. 

When she wasn’t fantasizing about him, he was irritating the crap out of her at work. Why couldn’t he see that she was trying to help him? Men. Their ego was always getting in the way. And she  _ had _ figured that this might be an issue when she had gone over his work while considering the job. All brilliant minds had a bit of an ego problem - herself included, if she were being truly honest. But Draco seemed to fight her every step of the way, which oddly enough only made her even more attracted to him. 

It was one large, clusterfuck, that was for sure. Working with him, Liv went from wanting to rip his clothes off one second to wanting to rip his eyes out next. The man had a talent for getting under her skin, in all of the best and worst ways. Though at this point she could clearly see that he had no idea just what he was doing to her. Otherwise they wouldn’t have made it this long without sleeping with each other. Again.

Sensing she wasn’t going to get back to sleep anytime soon - even now when she closed her eyes, she could see him smirking down at her - Liv untangled herself from her sheets and started down the hall and stairs to the kitchen to make some tea, pulling her robe on as she went.

Her townhouse, while large, was far from ostentatious. She had chosen it specifically for the large library that had massive windows looking over the back garden. It was perfect for working on potions and she had fallen in love with the space immediately. Though if her father had had any say, he’d probably put her in some large manor out in the countryside. Which was ridiculous because she didn’t need all that space just for herself. Though he had good intentions for the most part, Oliver De Loughrey was still the product of centuries of pureblood society. And enjoyed all the comforts coming from a rich and influential family afforded.

No, she had gotten this place on her own with her own money as she still refused to touch her trust fund. Apparently creating new potions had the side effect of generating decent money. If only she could have done this when it was just her, her mother and her grandparents.

Liv couldn’t get away from the U.S. and that life fast enough. Especially when her  _ dear _ stepmother and  _ charming _ half-sister and half-brother made it  _ oh so clear _ that she wasn’t welcomed. London was meant to be a fresh start where she could focus on her work and her work alone. No well-meaning father butting in to “help” or bitter stepmother to dish out back-handed compliments. No siblings to remind her that she didn’t actually belong in their world. Not that she needed it. Liv was acutely aware of how much she didn’t belong in pureblood society. And to be honest, she didn’t really want to fit in. Not from what she had seen of it in her own home growing up and while at Salem Witches’ Institute.

Most days she wished she could have gone to Hogwarts with her cousin.

Which is why she was frustrated about her current predicament. She was here to finally find the breakthrough she had been searching for in her potion - make significant progress on a project she had been working on for nearly two years. Draco Malfoy seemed as though he could be the key to that. 

And then Liv had to go and sleep with him.

In her defense, she hadn’t known that’s who he was that night. Thought he was just another handsome man (with a wicked sense of dry humor) that she could have fun with. And then he happened to be amazing in bed and… no. Liv shook her head as though she could literally shake the thoughts away. She had intentionally left that morning without leaving behind any contact information because she had already sensed herself becoming attached to him - more than just one night anyway - and she couldn’t afford distractions. 

Draco most definitely was proving that he was a distraction. Not to mention, he was one of  _ them _ . Part of the world she was trying to distance herself from.

It had been hard enough getting this job. Hard enough proving herself to, well, everyone, though it helped that she often went by her initials on her work, meaning very few outside of those she worked with directly even knew she was a woman. Yes, even in the 2000s, the wizarding world in both the U.S. and U.K. seemed to trust a man more with advanced or theoretical potions than they did women. 

Sighing, Liv waved her wand, watching as the tea kettle poured hot water into a mug that already had a tea bag in it. Once that was done, she picked up the mug, sliding her wand into her robe pocket and made her way to her library. The lights turned on as she walked in and immediately, she went over and sat at the large desk there, her eyes drifting to two photographs.

In one, a beautiful young woman that looked a lot like Liv save for her green eyes held a young girl, the two of them smiling and waving at the camera. In the other, the same girl sat on a couch sandwiched between an older couple, their arms around her. 

Liv wished with all her heart that her mother and grandparents were here. She missed her mother every single day of her life since she had died. And then Liv had tried to convince her grandfather that he and her grandmother could move here with her - she had the space and could afford to take care of the both of them, even hire a caretaker to look after Grams. But he had turned her down, saying it was easier for her grandmother to stay somewhere familiar.

A tear snaked down her cheek as Liv reached out and gently touched the photograph.

“Hang in there, Grams. I’ll find it. You know I will,” she whispered. 

She then took a drink of her tea and looked towards the large potions and chemistry set she had set up in front of the windows. Sighing yet again, she stood and walked over to it. If she wasn’t going to sleep, she could at least get some work done. 

~~~

“Good morning,” Liv said cheerfully as she walked through the office a few hours later despite the fact she was tired. She really was going to need a dreamless sleep potion at this rate. 

A few of the others that were out and about murmured greetings to her as she walked through the main communal space where they held meetings and a coffee and tea station had been set up. Her eyes drifted over as she saw Draco standing in the doorway to his office, his expression unreadable as his grey eyes followed her progress. Liv snapped her attention forward to her office as she walked in and sat her purse down on her desk, then removed her outer robe. 

There were piles of paperwork that she had been putting off in order to oversee all the various projects that were underway and assess their value. She would need to lay off on that if she wanted to get any of the administrative duties she was tasked with done. This was the side of the job she wasn’t so fond of, but someone had to do it. 

Sitting down, she started sifting through the parchments, dividing them into piles based on priority. Looked like she would be spending the morning on paperwork alone, though she supposed that was for the best. It would keep her occupied and away from Draco, though she was curious about his progress.

Liv then stopped, her eyes falling on a thick envelope from the trade regulation committee in her hands. She glanced up, her eyes going over to the window that looked out into the room, seeing Draco standing at the tea station with Blaise. He looked over, meeting her eyes as though he knew that she was looking at him. Liv looked back down at the letter, quickly opening it.

She had thought she made a fairly good argument to them about getting a small amount of Night Heather for the lab and hoped they had agreed to let her procure some. After thinking it over, she realized that Draco was onto something and she was determined to try and get the extremely rare, extremely dangerous plant. Pulling the letter out, her eyes quickly traveled down it, her brow furrowing the more she read.

They weren’t going to let her have it.

Tossing the letter away, she ran her fingers through her hair, wondering what her next option would be. She wasn’t about to stoop to buying it on the black market - she wasn’t even sure how - but at the same time, if she did, wouldn’t it be less of the dangerous plant out there for more nefarious types to get their hands on?

And though she loathed to admit it, part of her thought to her father. He would drop anything and everything to help her and did run an import-export empire in rare plants and magical substances. He might know how to (legally and safely) get some for her.

“Ehm, Ms. De Loughrey?” a timid voice said from her open door. Liv looked up, seeing a mousy woman standing here. Right, Susan. Susan Bones. She had been working on a potion that Liv herself had already perfected so the project was cut and she was now struggling to find something else to work on. 

“Yes, what can I do for you, Susan?” Liv asked, unsure of why the woman insisted on calling her Ms. De Loughrey. Besides the fact she hated her family name, she was only a couple years older. Though from the pinched look on Susan’s face, she wasn’t used to being referred to by her given name in this setting.

Some things about British culture, Liv couldn’t understand.

“I was just wondering if I could bounce some ideas off you. I took your advice and I think I have some interesting leads,” Susan said. 

Liv smiled and motioned for her to take a seat. Susan bustled in and sat, a notebook in her hand and a pleased look on her face.

“Let’s hear what you’ve got,” Liv said warmly. While she wasn’t sure just how Susan had made it onto the elite team, she wasn’t about to undo everything her predecessor did. Watkins must have had a reason so Liv was willing to put in the time to figure it out. And while not particularly creative, Susan had a solid work history.

Perhaps Liv could assign her to join up one of the other projects? She had a good work ethic, perhaps she would flourish as support to someone else. Maybe Blaise Zabini. He was certainly creative, though at times lacked the discipline to stay on task. Maybe Susan could keep him focused while he helped her to think outside the box.

“Ms. De Loughrey?”

“Hmm, oh, sorry. I didn’t sleep well last night,” Liv said, realizing she had zoned out and completely missed whatever it was that Susan had just said. “And really, you can call me Olivia. No need to be so formal.” Susan smiled. “Now, what was that last one again?”

As Susan continued talking, Liv sat up, intent on paying attention to her this time. Again, none of her ideas seemed particularly ground-breaking, but at least she was trying. Liv could see that much. As she began to draft a diplomatic response to Susan that would be encouraging, a frazzled post witch barged in through the open door and dropped a pile of envelopes on Liv’s desk and then turned and strode out. She really did need to get an assistant at some point, she realized.

Maybe that’s what Susan could do. Wait, no. She would hate it. Scratch that.

“Sorry, continue,” Liv said, reaching for the envelopes and flipping through them as Susan droned on. She stopped when she got to one with “O. Wood” in the top corner. Her eyes widened slightly as she put the envelope aside and looked back up at Susan.

“I think you’re on the right track, but still not quite there,” she said warmly, tempering the news with an encouraging smile. “I have an idea. Why don’t you take the afternoon off? Go out to a park or somewhere that you find relaxing and just… let your mind wander. See where it takes you.”

Susan stared at her as though she were speaking Goblin. 

“Let my mind wander?” she asked. Liv nodded.

“Yes. Some of my best ideas have come to me while I’m daydreaming,” she said. “Go on.” 

Susan hesitantly stood and then made her way out of Liv’s office, though she continued to glance back at her, her notebook clutched tight to her chest. Liv sighed as she opened Oliver’s letter, reading it through.

She had thought him charming and handsome when her cousin Katie had introduced them. While she didn’t really know a lot about quidditch, she enjoyed it as much as the next person. And she had to admit, it had done the man wonders. They had hit it off and it seemed he was eager to meet up for a date. 

Liv put the letter down, glancing once again out her window towards Draco’s office. There was an odd sort of churning in her stomach that she didn’t understand. She looked back down at the letter, frowning slightly. She liked Oliver, didn’t she? Enough to at least go on one date with him. And Draco was her subordinate. She couldn’t date him - even if that was what she wanted, which it most certainly wasn’t. This was all… well, Liv wasn’t sure what it was, but that didn’t matter. She needed to stop thinking about Draco Malfoy in any context other than work.

Right, wasn’t there a saying about the best way to get over someone was to get under someone else? 

Liv reached for a quill and piece of parchment, then wrote out a reply that she would love to meet Oliver for dinner and drinks after work on Friday. She then slid it in an envelope and addressed it. There. She would send it during lunch when she went out.

Nodding, Liv looked at the various other documents and parchments on her desk demanding her attention. Work. That’s what she needed right now. Nothing but work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again - wanted to get to the first chapter from Liv's point of view...


	7. Deep Dive

**Deep Dive**

_I need a hit..._

“Morning, Malfoy!” Susan said brightly as he walked into the lab. He nodded towards her and then headed straight to his office, hoping that it wouldn’t be yet another repeat of the last few days. Since the weekend, De Loughrey had been spending more time overlooking his potion than any others and he was getting annoyed.

Though he had to admit, if professionalism was a topic taught at Hogwarts, she’d likely get top marks. Even Draco to fight against the urge to lose it around her, whether it was to yell or kiss her. 

He stopped in his preparations as his eyes widened. Fuck. He had been doing well, he thought. But it seemed certain urges were still sneaking their way into his mind. How he wished he was working on a potion to counteract that.

Maybe that would be his next project. 

Sighing, he set back to work, pulling on his lab robes and then going over his notes from where he left off yesterday. He had tried a new variation, tweaking some of the ingredients, but it still hadn’t worked - as De Loughrey was quick to point out though it was unnecessary. At least he hadn’t killed another mouse this time. 

Sighing, he stopped and looked around, trying to decide where he wanted to start today. The best place was to start with the base ingredients that he knew would work, then go from there. And hopefully De Loughrey would prove her worth and tell him she had finally procured some Night Heather. Though he doubted she was actually trying. 

Regardless, best to get to work.

~~~

“Hey, Draco.”

He grimaced slightly but quickly rearranged his expression before turning around to see a smiling De Loughrey standing in his doorway. Her hair had been down earlier, but it was now up, quills sticking out haphazardly. She had - once again - lost her outer robe and had her blouse sleeves rolled up.

“Thought I’d help,” she said, smiling. Draco fought off the urge to roll his eyes. That’s what she called it but he thought it more hindering than anything. But she was his boss. It wasn’t as though he could tell her no.

He motioned her in as he turned back to his work. 

“You know, many people find it offensive that you continue to use our given names,” he said dryly. “We’re work colleagues. You’re our… boss.” The word left a bad taste in his mouth. But De Loughrey just chuckled.

“I really don’t understand that,” she said. “I’ve always been on a first name basis with all my professors, mentors and bosses.” She stepped up to his side and looked up at him expectantly.

“You can chop those,” he said, pointing to a pile of frog brains, unsure of why she was allowing him to take the lead suddenly. “And it’s just how things are done.”

“Just because it’s how things are done doesn’t mean it’s the best way to do them,” she said, picking up a knife and getting to work. “I think you need a good relationship, and first names help.” Draco had to catch himself, finding he was more interested in watching her slender fingers at work than doing his own work or listening to her. He shook his head and turned back to the boom berries he was smashing.

“Yes, how could I forget. You’re American,” he said. De Loughrey stopped chopping a moment as she turned to him.

“Why does that sound like an insult coming from you?” she asked, though oddly enough, she didn’t sound angry.

“Just stating a fact,” he said, continuing with his work. De Loughrey huffed and returned to hers. 

For a bit, Draco felt he was back in Snape’s class. Though this time his worst nightmare had come true and he was partnered with Granger. De Loughrey had only stayed silent a few moments before commenting that he was smashing the berries wrong. Well, she hadn’t said wrong - rather suggested another way to do it. But to Draco, she might as well said wrong. 

But still, he pushed on, stopping her from stepping in when he could. After a while, he found that a small part of him was enjoying working with her - the back and forth was entertaining. But still, he kept himself from smiling or letting on. 

The last thing he wanted to admit to anyone - especially De Loughrey - was that he was enjoying this. He silently reminded himself that he was trying to take her down, after all. 

Finally, they were at a point where he wanted to start adding the ingredients to the base potion he had spent the morning working on. De Loughrey had - thankfully - gone quiet, now stepping back and watching. 

Draco looked over his notes again and then back at the potion. He waved his wand and watched as some of the ingredients lifted from the table and dropped into the cauldron. He stepped over and stirred it three times one way and then four in the other. 

Going back over to his notes, he looked at them again. He chanced a glance at De Loughrey, finding her inching towards the cauldron, her eyes fixed on it. He then turned back to his notes again and then stepped over, picking up the last ingredient. He held his breath as he prepared to pour it in.

“Wait,” De Loughrey said. He groaned in annoyance and looked at her.

“What?” he asked. She walked over and picked up his notes, going over them. She looked at the cauldron then reached for a quill. 

“I think your calculations might be off,” she said, about to start scratching something down.

“I’ve been working days on those,” he spat. She stopped, looking over at him. Finally, she rolled her eyes and reached for a clean sheet of parchment. 

“Just… give me a sec,” she said, starting to copy down his calculations onto the new page.

“Fine,” Draco said, stepping away from the cauldron. He was only entertaining this because she was his boss - nothing more. He was sure that he had calculated the right amount. 

After some time, she straightened up and held the sheet out to him.

“It’s too much. You need to halve it, or it’ll explode,” she said matter-of-factly. Draco frowned at her, but then took the sheet looking it over. He then looked at the cauldron and back at her. He didn’t completely trust her work, though from what he had seen so far, he probably should have.

No, his pride was on the line.

“I humbly beg to disagree,” he said dryly. De Loughrey huffed and then threw her hands in the air.

“Well, then. By all means, proceed,” she said, acid in her voice. Draco shoved the parchment back at her and then turned to the cauldron. He poured it in and then stirred it. He had barely made it halfway around before the potion began to boil.

“Oh shit,” he muttered. 

“I told you-”

Draco barely had time to jump away, turning to attempt to cover De Loughrey as the contents of the cauldron did - in fact - explode, covering the both of them in purple sludge. They remained silent a few moments before De Loughrey shoved him away.

“I fucking told you that would happen, and you did it anyway!” she shouted.

“Yea, well, how was I supposed to know it would happen just because you said so!” he shouted back.

“I FUCKING SHOWED YOU THE CALCULATIONS!” De Loughrey bellowed. 

“AGAIN! HOW WAS I TO KNOW THEY WERE RIGHT?!” he shouted, not about to back down. 

“BECAUSE YOU’RE A STUPID PUREBLOOD PRICK WHO THINKS HE CAN DO NO WRONG AND THAT I’M JUST THE BITCH THAT STOLE YOUR JOB!” she shouted back. Her eyes then went wide as her hands came to her mouth.

In any other situation, Draco might have found it comical, or dare he say, cute. The way her eyes became round as saucers and the goop dripped from the tip of her nose onto her hands. But then he latched onto what she said, and his blood began to boil. Just a stupid pureblood prick, was it? She then cleared her throat and lowered her hands as she straightened her back, lifting her chin slightly.

“Sometimes we need help, Draco. Which is all I’m trying to do. Despite what you might think of me, I do want you to succeed. That’s all I’m trying to do,” she said calmly. She then looked at the destroyed workspace and back at him. “I need to clean up.” She then turned to walk out and stopped. Draco looked over, seeing that a crowd had gathered outside. “Everyone back to work.”

She then strode out of his office. 

Draco glared at everyone and soon they all dispersed as he turned back to his office. Everything was covered in muck. Again. It would easily take the rest of the day to clean this up and he had an appointment with Blaise and Theo afterwards. 

He waved his wand, getting started. He didn’t want to admit that she had been right. Nor did he want to believe that she was legitimately trying to help him. Or well, yes, he could believe that. But it only made him more curious about why. He didn’t buy into her first day speech about everyone succeeding together.

No, there was far more to Olivia De Loughrey, this he knew. He just needed to find out what.

~~~

Draco was more than ready for a drink when he arrived at the bar, immediately going to a table at the back where Blaise and Theo were already seated, drinks in front of them. He had done his best to set his office to rights, but it still took a fair bit of scrubbing once he got home to get the destroyed potion off him. And his clothes were ruined.

As he sat down, a firewhiskey appeared in front of him. Stunned, he looked up at his friends.

“The entire lab heard that argument,” Blaise said. “Figured you’d need it.” Draco sighed and took a long sip before settling his eyes on Theo.

“What have you found?” he asked, eager to get to the point. Theo took a deep breath and then reached into his bag and pulled out a file that he opened on the table.

“Well… she wasn’t always Olivia De Loughrey. In fact, until she was 10, her name was Olivia Yvonne Adams, daughter to Shelly Adams, granddaughter to Rex and Yvonne Adams,” he said. 

“What? She’s adopted?” Blaise asked. Draco just glanced at him and then motioned for Theo to continue. He hadn’t known about changing her name, but he did know the story behind why. 

“No,” Theo said. “Her mother never married De Loughrey. They had a tryst in school - Olivia was the result of that. For whatever reason, her mother moved to a small town in Arkansas with her parents, had Olivia and her father was none the wiser until her mother died when she was 10 in a car accident.”

He pushed a photograph across the table and Draco took it, seeing a grinning little girl with a beautiful woman and an older couple standing outside a modest house. He assumed this must be De Loughrey and her mother and grandparents. They looked a lot alike, though her mother and grandparents’ eyes were a vivid green. And now he understood the slight accent.

They looked happy. Content. Though noticeably not rich. Draco felt something stirring in him, though he wasn’t sure just what it was.

“So, he found out and insisted that she come live with him and his family, changed her last name and everything,” Theo continued, sounding as though he loathed the fact he had dug up all this information. He slid another photo across the table and Draco took that as well, seeing a well-dressed family in an over decorated sitting room. The two younger children looked almost smug as did the mother, whose dark hair was perfectly styled, though her eyes held a certain coldness to them. They were seated on a sofa while behind them stood a man and teen girl. He studied him, seeing Oliver De Loughrey grinning with his arm around the girl, who looked absolutely miserable. She stood out in the photo, both for her blonde hair and her sullen expression. But from the way her father looked down at her, it was obvious that he loved her. 

“Okay, so she’s Oliver De Loughrey’s love child. How does this help us?” Blaise asked. Theo sighed.

“I’m still looking,” he said, though he grimaced. He looked over at Draco, his expression begging him to tell him he could stop. 

Draco looked back down at the photograph, something else stirring inside him. This he could more accurately guess. Sympathy. Yes, that was it. He found himself feeling sympathetic towards Olivia. No, De Loughrey. Though rather than let Theo off the hook, he looked up, tossing the photograph back to him.

“Keep digging,” he said blandly. He then picked up his glass and emptied the contents before standing and walking out of the bar, vaguely hearing Blaise protest. 

He had to get out of there before he changed his mind. Or the others saw more than he wanted them to. As soon as he was on the sidewalk, he apparated home to his kitchen. Pulling off his suit jacket, he laid it on the island and then set about to making himself a drink. He then apparated up to his bedroom and stepped out onto the terrace. 

Standing at the railing, he looked out over Diagon Alley, his mind drifting to everything he knew about Olivia De Loughrey up to this point.

She was a bastard, essentially. Spent the first 10 years of her life in rural Arkansas with her grandparents and mother - a family that seemingly loved her if the photograph was anything to go by. And then her mother dies tragically. And then a man claiming to be her father arrives and takes her away from the only life she knows and thrusts her into pureblood society.

For all Draco knew, Olivia didn’t even know who her father was until that point. 

He frowned as he took a drink and continued staring out at the cityscape, remembering how she had reacted that day in her office. How she had tried to distance herself from pureblood society. Now that he knew more, he understood it a bit more. She hadn’t been born into it, rather thrust into it. He knew firsthand how cruel it could be. 

What had Olivia been through?

Had her new family accepted her? From the look of the second photo and what his mother had told him, he surmised they had not. But it seemed at the least she had a loving father. That was something Draco was completely unfamiliar with. But before that, she had also had a loving mother. Grandparents that still loved her, if they were still alive. 

It was then that Draco realized the first stirring he had gotten was jealousy. He had been jealous when he saw the first photo. But then he remembered she had lost that family. Draco couldn’t decide what was worse. To have a loving family and then lose it or to have never experienced it at all. Yes, his mother loved him, but growing up as he had, it wasn’t as though she had been warm and affectionate. It wasn’t their way, though she had shown it in the ways that she could. His father, well, Draco questioned if Lucius Malfoy was capable of loving anything other than money and power. He had gone mad when the Malfoy name lost the power it once had.

Draco looked down at his drink, conflicting emotions rising up in him. He had once bought into it, when he was younger. That being a Malfoy made you powerful. That being pureblood made you powerful. And then he learned what cost it came with and began to question if it was all truly worth it. If it was worth giving up humanity. 

He looked up, taking a drink as he reminded himself that he wasn’t like that anymore. Had worked to make his amends even if others in the wizarding world didn’t truly believe that he had changed. He then realized with a sinking feeling in his stomach that he hadn’t truly changed.

What he was doing - digging into Olivia’s history to find a way to take her down - that was something old Draco would do. Frowning, he pondered on this more. And the more he thought about it, the more disgusted he grew with himself. Sure, he still wanted the job more than anything, but was this the way to truly get it? 

Even if Olivia drove him mad, after today he realized that she really was trying to help him succeed. Draco downed the drink and walked back inside. He was thinking too much, and he didn’t want to think on this anymore tonight. 

Trotting down the stairs rather than apparating, he walked into the kitchen and grabbed the bottle of firewhiskey and then walked to his study.

Maybe he could drink the thoughts away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yea, finishing this has become a full-blown obsession. Somehow managed to get one more chapter on "Like Fire to Kindle" done today, but only after I forced myself to work on it. Then I went and wrote three more chapters on this one. I have only two left to write... I should have been in bed two hours ago, but couldn't stop writing...
> 
> And shit, the potions stuff, guys... It's hard... 
> 
> But, as you can see, things are starting to shift for dear Draco... Hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading! Leave a note if you like it! Or not... no worries...


	8. Jealousy

**Jealousy**

_Baby, give me it..._

Draco paced around in his office, occasionally glancing towards his open door and then back to the mess that was on his worktable. It had been days since the fight with Olivia - no, De Loughrey - in his office and things had been tense, though she seemed to be going out of her way to avoid him. 

For once. Though there were certainly a large amount of heated glances between them. Or sometimes she would watch him with a look that he couldn’t decipher and that left him unnerved.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he had been stuck on how to fix the potion and where to go from there ever since. For some reason he found without her there badgering him, he struggled to come up with a solution.

Dare he say it, but he was starting to _miss_ having her there looking over his shoulder. Draco stopped, his eyes widening slightly at the realization. He then shook his head and walked over to his notes, going over them for the millionth time trying to find out just how De Loughrey had found where he went wrong before he had. Granted, now that it had been pointed out to him, it was glaringly obvious. But still, why hadn’t he noticed it before? And why did she have to find it before he did?

Fate was a cruel bitch, he decided. As if De Loughrey needed any more reason to believe that she was more brilliant than he was. But still, he couldn’t quite figure out how she had noticed it. He was going to have to work late at this rate if he wanted to get anything done. Sighing heavily, Draco rubbed his face and walked out, thinking perhaps some tea might help.

He couldn’t help as he glanced over towards De Loughrey’s office, seeing her standing in front of a mirror, preening a bit. She looked nervous as she took in her outfit from different angles. He wasn’t sure what all that was about - so far De Loughrey had never seemed to care about her appearance to this extent, though she was always dressed smartly.

What had her in a tizzy today just before the end of the work day?

“Word is she’s got a hot date tonight,” Blaise said, stepping up to his side. “At least that’s what Richards from down the hall said. Overheard her talking about it with some blonde witch she met with for lunch - didn’t say who. Supposedly is excited about it, though didn’t mention who it was with.” 

Draco glanced at him and then back at De Loughrey, seeing her lean towards the mirror as she applied lipstick. He wasn’t sure why he suddenly felt uncomfortable about the idea of her going on a date. No, not uncomfortable.

Jealous.

And that bothered him. The desire to know who she was going out with seized him immediately, though he remained calm and appeared unaffected by the news. 

“Good for her,” he said dryly, turning his back to De Loughrey to face Blaise. 

Who was the bloke she was going out with? Someone else in the Ministry? Someone she had met? When had she met him? Draco then thought back to the night he saw her with the Gryffindors. 

Fucking hell, she was likely going out with one of them. He quickly pushed the idea from his mind. De Loughrey could go out with whoever she wanted. Wasn’t his business. Not like he cared. He didn’t care.

He recited that like a mantra a few times in his head, hoping if he said it enough, it would be true. That he didn’t care if De Loughrey was going on a date with someone else. She was his boss. No, she was _the enemy_. He didn’t get jealous over that.

“By the way, Flint scored us some tickets to the match tomorrow. Box seats. You in?” Blaise asked. 

“Of course,” Draco said, thinking a quidditch match might just be the thing he needed to clear his head. About the potion and De Loughrey. “Falcons and Harpies?”

“Should be a good match-up, though I’m not sure the Harpies stand too much of a chance,” Blaise said.

Draco zoned out a moment, nodding here and there when necessary as Blaise continued going through the entire lineup on both teams. He had had this conversation plenty of times before so it wasn’t as though he needed to actively participate. 

He couldn’t help as his eyes drifted back towards De Loughrey seeing her back at her desk, her brow furrowed as she looked over some papers. She then looked up and their eyes met. He started to look away, but found that he couldn’t. There was that look in her eyes that he couldn’t quite define again, and he suddenly, desperately wanted to know what it was.

But then she looked back down, shifting in her chair and the spell was broken.

“Are you listening to me, Draco?” Blaise said. 

Draco looked back over at him, his eyebrows raised.

“What was it?” he asked.

“Tonight. Drinks with Theo. Reckon we could discuss our little problem a bit more,” Blaise said, obviously referring to De Loughrey. They still hadn’t really come up with any sort of solid plan, having a lack of information, and for that Draco found himself somewhat grateful. While he wasn’t about to be the first to back out of it, he found he didn’t want to actively push it forward either. He was still conflicted about the plot to take down De Loughrey - which only seemed to frustrate him further. Draco finally nodded. 

“Fair enough,” he said, starting towards his office. 

“Malfoy!”

He stopped and turned, seeing Bones rushing up to him. Bloody hell, was he ever going to get any work done today with all the interruptions? What could she possibly want?

“I was wondering… do you have some time? I want to present some new ideas to the boss and I could use your advice,” she said. Draco stared at her. He didn’t really care to help - he had his own issues to work out with his own research. But then he remembered that that was going nowhere at the moment. Sighing heavily, he nodded his head towards his office.

“Very well,” he said. She grinned and followed him to his office. “What is it you’re thinking about?”

~~~

Draco leaned back in his chair, his thoughts once again on De Loughrey. This was beginning to get annoying. And they weren’t even discussing her at the moment. 

He glanced up at Theo, who was joking around with Blaise about the match tomorrow, the two looking forward to it. Draco went to his fair share, but it wasn’t often that Theo could go with them. Between his work and his wife, he wasn’t often free at the weekend. 

Draco’s thoughts then came back to De Loughrey. What sort of bloke was she out with? Did he take her to a fancy restaurant? She didn’t seem the type who would go for someone that threw money around, if her insult from their fight was anything to go by. But she had seemed into it that night…

Damnit, he was doing it again. Reliving that night in his head. Draco really needed to stop that. Fantasizing about De Loughrey wasn’t going to help anyone, least of all, himself. 

“So… find anything else useful for us?” Blaise asked, changing the topic suddenly. Draco looked over to Theo, fixing him in a neutral stare. Theo sighed heavily.

“There’s not much out there, save her work,” he admitted. “Which I don’t even bloody understand most of it.”

“She worked on a lot of theoretical potions,” Draco offered, thinking over his extensive study of her work that he had done. “Managed to take a good amount of them from the realm of theoretical into practical. How she ended up with so many damn patents.”

“Well that definitely doesn’t help us and you already knew all that. Said there was nothing there useful - her work is ironclad,” Blaise said, falling back in his chair, frowning. He looked over at Theo. “What’s her family life like?”

“Told you what I know,” Theo said. “Not like she’s done any interviews on it. Only about her work and even then, very rarely. Though her family is in the New York Ghost every issue or so for something. Usually on the society pages - donating to this charity, going to that event. You know how it goes.”

“Yea, but… does she get on with them? Could we contact anyone to get information? Her brother or sister?” Blaise asked. Draco’s eyebrows rose slightly. It was an idea, but now that it had been said aloud, he shifted in his chair slightly, feeling uncomfortable with it. The way that Theo was scowling said that he was equally uncomfortable with it. “Her old classmates? A professor? You’re a bloody auror, Theo. Isn’t this the sort of thing you normally do?”

“Her school records are impeccable,” Theo said. “As are her work records. And yes, when I’m tracking down a criminal. Not a perfectly normal, law-abiding citizen.” He sighed and leaned forward on the table. “Really, I think you two should just drop it. I’m not likely to find anything that will help you and even if I did, I’m tempted not to hand it over.” He looked over at Draco. “Is this really what you want to do? Destroy her and her career just so you can get some bloody promotion? Thought you were all about earning what you got fairly?”

Draco frowned as he looked down at his glass. That was the question of the hour, wasn’t it? Did he really want to do this, knowing what he did? Well, he didn’t really know much, come to think of it. There was nothing solid that told him she had a horrible life with the De Loughreys - just supposition based on a photograph and rumours from his mother. For all he knew, De Loughrey could have enjoyed a life of luxury.

Though his gut was telling him she hadn’t. 

“I’ll be back,” Draco said, standing from the table and feeling as though he needed air. He could hear Blaise protesting as he walked away, heading to the back of the pub where he could step out into a back alley for a few moments of privacy.

He was conflicted. There was obviously no dirt on her that they could find. And so far, she was proving herself in the job. Perhaps it was time that he got over himself and let bygones be bygones. Isn’t that what the changed Draco Malfoy did? 

He then heard a familiar laugh and stopped, his eyes searching the tables at the back. He knew that laugh - remembered it clearly from the first night they met. His eyes found her easily, raising a glass of firewhiskey to her lips, her dark blues lit up in mirth. The top few buttons of her blouse were undone as she leaned towards the man, that infuriating coy smile on her lips that had been such a turn-on that night. 

Still was, if Draco was being completely honest with himself. He could feel it begin to affect him even though she was across the room and it wasn’t directed at him. 

His eyes then moved to the man seated close to De Loughrey’s side as he reached out and tucked a stray wave behind her ear. His back was to Draco, but he still could recognize him. The broad shoulders and muscled arms earned from years on a quidditch pitch.

Oliver Wood. 

Draco felt a consuming anger come over him as he saw the keeper place a hand on her knee. De Loughrey looked down at it and then back up at Wood, the smile still firmly in place as she leaned towards him, her lips moving though Draco was too far away to hear what she was saying. He quickly turned and strode back to the table, sitting down so abruptly that both Blaise and Theo jumped slightly.

“What’s wrong with you?” Blaise asked.

“Nothing,” Draco said tersely. “We should reach out to her siblings. Seems to be bad blood there - they’ll know something we can use.” 

Though as he said it, he couldn’t help but feel slightly disgusted with himself. He was angry, yes, but not at De Loughrey. He was angry at Wood. Angry at the fact that she was out with the quidditch player, smiling at him the same way she had smiled at Draco. He was angry that the keeper could go on dates with her, take her home even, without rules and such getting in the way.

He was angry the bloody Ministry had that bloody rule against a subordinate dating his or her direct boss. 

And then he was suddenly shocked by the realization of it - that he, Draco Malfoy, still wanted Olivia De Loughrey. Cautiously, Draco glanced around the crowded pub, but he couldn’t see Wood or De Loughrey anywhere, their table hidden behind the bar. Looking up at Blaise and Theo, neither seemed to have noticed that something was off with him.

Draco took a drink, trying to calm himself down and keep his face neutral. The last thing he needed was for anyone - his friends included - to find out that he was still incredibly attracted to her. He hadn’t even told them that he had taken her home that night - that she was the mysterious one-night stand he had had.

It was the one way he could definitely get her in trouble, but that would be putting his own head on the chopping block as well. Draco, if anything, still had a strong sense of self-preservation. He told himself that he wasn’t about to jeopardize his own chances, though part of him knew it was also because he didn’t want to betray her trust. 

He turned his focus back to the discussion at hand, watching as Theo reluctantly agreed to reach out to a few people in New York, though Draco could tell from the pinched look on his face that he really didn’t want to do it. But it had to be Theo. If either him or Blaise did it, it would get back to De Loughrey and they couldn’t be connected.

“You know, if there is bad blood, we can’t completely trust whatever they say,” Theo was explaining to Blaise.

“If only we could catch her breaking some rule or something,” Blaise said, his brow furrowed in concentration. He then smiled. “What if we set her up?”

“You can’t be serious,” Theo scoffed.

“Yea, I know, she follows the letter of the law, but we could make it look like she’s done something… just need to figure out what,” Blaise said. Draco shifted in his chair, uncomfortable with where Blaise was going.

It was getting too incredibly close to the truth.

“We should get someone to seduce her… someone from the department,” Blaise then said, grinning. 

“Really?” Theo asked, a horrified look on his face.

“What makes you think that would work?” Draco droned, though his heart was racing slightly. “Isn’t she on a date with someone?”

“Yea, but we don’t know that that will work out,” Blaise said. “Just to decide who…”

“Well, you focus on that plan that will obviously fail. I’m leaving,” Draco said, standing smoothly.

“We haven’t figured anything out!” Blaise complained.

“I’ll see you tomorrow at the match,” Draco said, tossing some money on the table before walking off. Truly, if that was the route Blaise was going, he wanted no part in it. It was far, far too close to the truth and Draco couldn’t trust himself to keep the secret if the conversation went future.

He walked out of the pub and quickly apparated home, once again making himself a drink and standing on the terrace outside his room, looking out over the city. 

Images of Olivia and Oliver danced through his mind. The way he had tucked her hair behind her ear, then touched her leg. The way she leaned towards him. He then imagined him taking her home. 

Draco’s blood began to boil as the images continued and he couldn’t stop them. He was still angry about everything. 

And despite the fact that they argued more than they got on, that she had taken his promotion, Draco could no longer deny his attraction to her. He didn’t want to be attracted to Olivia De Loughrey. He didn’t want to work with her. He didn’t want to continue feeling this jealousy course through him.

But he still felt it all the same. And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about any of it. Taking a drink Draco continued staring out over the city. All these years since the war, he had been so focused on making amends. Showing that he was different. Not once had he spared a thought to his love life, though a small part of him felt a bit jealous when he saw Theo and his wife together. When all his other friends had partnered up. Even a bit with Blaise, as easily as he fell in and then out of love.

Because part of Draco thought that he would never have that. Who would want to be with Draco Malfoy, former Death Eater? Who had helped Death Eaters enter Hogwarts the night Dumbledore was killed? Whose family hosted Voldemort for an entire year? 

No one, in his mind. Most people likely thought him incapable of such an emotion

But then Olivia De Loughrey had waltzed into his life. And while he was absolutely certain that this wasn’t love, it wasn’t pure and complete lust either. She excited him. Stirred something inside him that had laid dormant. Hope that perhaps… someone _could_ come to love him.

And despite the fact that she annoyed the ever-loving life out of him, he wanted to be near her.

Sighing heavily, a dry laugh escaped his lips. This was ridiculous. Olivia was dating a famous quidditch player. And she was his boss. What’s more, as she said, it had been just one night. Nothing more. 

So why did he suddenly wish he could have more?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have not only finished writing, but also editing everything! So congrats! Getting the whole story posted tonight. ^_^ Even surprised myself there with the ending...


	9. A (Not So) Good Day

**A (Not So) Good Day**

_You’re dangerous…_

Draco glanced around the noisy stadium as Blaise and Theo happily chatted about the upcoming match next to him. Calmly, he sipped at his beer, grateful that Flint had given them box seats. Draco never sat in the stands where it was too loud and too hot. In here, they had least had cooling charms and were out of the sun. Not to mention each box had its own concession stand and private bathroom. No long lines so he’d never miss anything in the match.

And there were relatively fewer people to recognize and then glare at him.

“There’s no way the Harpies are going to win,” Blaise scoffed, looking over at Theo.

“They’ve got a really good lineup,” Theo countered.

“Right, the golden Gryffindors. You’re such a traitor,” Blaise said, narrowing his eyes at Theo.

“Get off it, even you have to admit that Spinnet, Weasley and Bell are good together,” Theo said. 

“Back me up, Draco,” Blaise said. Draco just smiled slightly as he glanced over at Blaise and then back to the pitch.

“Dunno. Suppose we’re going to have to wait and see, aren’t we,” he drawled. He then got comfortable, looking forward to a day of nothing but quidditch.

There was then a slight commotion as a noisy group walked into the box, getting a few shouts from some of the others already seated. Some jumped up and walked over to them, seeming eager to chat with whoever it was. Draco frowned, not pleased with the noise, but kept his eyes on the field as the players went through their pre-game warmup.

“You have _got_ to be kidding me,” Blaise muttered. Draco looked at him and then back at the group, noticing Weasel Twin, his girl - Jones? No, Johnson - and then… no fucking way.

Groaning, Draco turned and attempted to hide his face slightly as he slunk down in his chair while Oliver Wood introduced Olivia to whoever it was that had gotten their attention as they walked in. She was wearing a Harpies t-shirt, her long, perfect legs on display in a pair of shorts. Wood had his arm around her waist and was grinning brightly, almost as though he had just won the damn Quidditch League Cup all by himself.

What were the odds?

“Maybe she won’t see us,” Blaise suggested. 

Draco glanced down at the group again just in time to catch Olivia’s gaze. She smiled at him and then turned to say something to Wood. 

“I think we’ve been spotted,” Draco muttered back as he straightened in his chair. She had obviously seen him, so he wasn’t about to cower. Olivia then turned and made her way up to them while Wood watched, a cautious look on his face. 

“Hello. Funny running into you guys,” Olivia said smoothly, though there was a bit of anxiety in her eyes as she looked at Draco. 

“Didn’t realize you were a quidditch fan,” Blaise said, quickly turning on the charm. _Lovely,_ Draco thought dryly. Now she most definitely would stay and chat. Olivia chuckled.

“I’ll admit, I don’t know a lot about it, but I like a fun match here and there,” she said. Draco glanced down, seeing the three Gryffindors huddled together as they watched the interaction.

“So how do you know that lot?” he found himself asking as he looked back at her, nodding towards the group with his head. Olivia looked over her shoulder at them.

“Oh, my cousin introduced us. Apparently she went to school with all of them,” she said, turning back to him. “She’s playing today with their other friend and George’s sister, Ginny. Got me the tickets, actually.”

“Really?” Blaise asked, intrigued. “Who’s your cousin?”

“Katie Bell. Chaser for the Harpies,” Olivia said. “We’re related on my mother’s side.”

“Interesting,” Blaise said, still smiling. 

“Apologies for these two being gits and forgetting their manners,” Theo said, standing up and holding his hand to her. “Theodore Nott, auror.” Olivia shook his hand, still smiling.

“Olivia De Loughrey, their boss,” she replied breezily. Draco caught the look on Theo’s face and knew immediately that he was going to refuse to continue looking into her now that he had met her. He sighed heavily, thinking it might actually be for the best. It wasn’t as though they had made any progress in Operation: Take Down the Boss anyway.

They really did make poor excuses of Slytherins in that case.

“Well… I just wanted to come say hi. I’ll leave you to it,” she said, before turning and making her way down to the group. Wood’s brow was furrowed as he spoke to Olivia, sliding his arm once again around her waist protectively. She just smiled and shook her head. She then followed Weasley and Johnson to a group of four seats about three rows in front of them. 

Wood looked back at them, a suspicious look on his face. Draco couldn’t help himself as he smirked and raised his cup to him. The keeper frowned, though he then sat down, facing the pitch. 

“Well… this is going to be fun,” Blaise said sarcastically. “And I guess we now know who she was a date with last night.” 

Draco didn’t reply, his eyes fixed on the pitch. Merlin, was that really only last night? Felt like days ago. Regardless, he was determined that it didn’t matter. He was here to enjoy the match and nothing more.

~~~

“Oh, come on!” Blaise shouted, earning a few glares from the Harpies’ fans in the box. “That was a bad call!”

“I thought it fair,” Theo said a bit smugly as Blaise frowned at him. Draco just rolled his eyes and stood.

“I’ll get this round,” he said, already walking to the concession stand to get away from their bickering. At that moment, Blaise jumped to his feet, shouting out that it was clearly a foul and the ref was blind. 

“Three, please,” Draco said to the person working the concession stand. 

“Might want to get your mate under control.”

Draco turned slightly, seeing Wood standing just behind him and sighed.

“Afraid there’s not a whole lot I can do about that,” he said boredly even though everything inside him was telling him to punch the quidditch player in the nose. But that most certainly would get them kicked out. And it’s not like he had a reason to, other than the fact he was pissed that he had come with Olivia.

“So, you work with Liv in the Potions Research Department,” Wood then said, stepping up next to him. Draco took a deep breath, willing himself to stay calm. Had things progressed so quickly that he was now calling her Liv? Well, she had told him to call her that when they first met… maybe she preferred it.

“Yes,” he said shortly. “As does Zabini. And about 50 others.”

“Yea, but she doesn’t talk about the others. She talks about you,” Wood said. Draco raised his eyebrows, surprised that De Loughrey would even mention him on her date. Though he couldn’t help but feel mildly pleased. 

“Really? I cannot fathom why,” Draco said lazily.

“Don’t think I don’t know what game you’re playing, Malfoy,” Wood said, frowning at him. Draco nearly laughed. What the hell was he talking about? Draco turned to look at him, unsure as to why Wood was talking to him, about De Loughrey no less. He glanced back behind Wood towards where she was sitting with Weasley and Johnson, her eyes fixed on the match as she cheered. Draco then looked back at the player, straightening up to his full height, though Wood was still a bit taller. 

“I assure you, there’s no so-called _game_. We’re merely co-workers and nothing more,” Draco said, though for a moment he worried that she had told him about that night. He glanced at her again, seeing that she was watching them with a curious look on her face. 

“Stay away from her,” Wood said. Draco managed to keep his expression calm and not roll his eyes.

“We work together. She’s my boss. Can’t really stay away from her, can I?” he said before turning to pick up the three beers the worker had put out.

“I remember what you did. What you’re like. She doesn’t understand it. Don’t take advantage of her,” Wood said. Draco looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Fucking Gryffindors. This was part of the reason he hated them. Couldn’t let go of a grudge. 

“I’m not like that anymore,” he said sternly. “And as for staying away from her… she’s the one who is constantly coming to me. Think about that, Wood.” 

He then walked off, a smug smile on his face as De Loughrey frowned. The whole interaction with Wood was odd - really he didn’t understand why the keeper was feeling threatened. _He_ had come with De Loughrey after all. Draco just happened to be here. Though he was curious just what Olivia had told him. Draco didn’t see her telling Wood about their one night together on the first date. 

Passing down the beers, he couldn’t help but glance down at the couple, Olivia wearing an incredulous look on her face before she looked back at him. Draco couldn’t help himself as he lifted his cup to her. She rolled her eyes as she turned back to Wood, though he saw a small smile on her lips. 

Maybe this match wasn’t going to be so bad after all…

~~~

“Wait, so that’s what Wood was talking to you about?” Blaise asked later that night. They were in the living room of Flint’s large flat, the after party underway. The Falcons managed to beat the Harpies by 80 points and Draco was fairly sure none of the Gryffindors would make an appearance between the loss and the fact that it was Flint’s place.

The rivalry between Flint and Wood was just as strong as it was at Hogwarts. 

“Why?” Blaise asked. Draco shrugged. He still wasn’t sure how he had come up in conversation or why Wood would feel threatened by him. Again, there was no way that Olivia would have mentioned that night to him, of this Draco was sure.

“Dunno. Perhaps his ego is frail,” Draco replied. Blaise chuckled and shook his head though Theo was studying Draco closely. Too closely. There was a reason he made a good auror and Draco worried slightly that he had figured out the truth. 

“I’m going to get another drink,” Draco said, walking away before Theo said anything. He made his way into the kitchen where a makeshift bar had been set up, pouring another drink. He glanced around, seeing a number of Slytherins there alongside a number of players from the League. Flint was in the corner, leaning towards a witch in a short dress, who was making googly eyes at him.

Draco rolled his eyes and stepped out, going back to the living room when there was a shout from the front entryway. He turned and stopped, his eyes going wide as he saw one of the Falcon beaters - Lucian Bole, a former Slytherin as well - hugging none other than Katie Bell, with Spinnet standing next to her. 

And just behind them were Olivia and Wood.

“Fucking hell,” Draco muttered already turning and making his way back to the living room. 

Perhaps they would go to the kitchen and then he could make a run for it. 

“You have got to be kidding me,” Blaise said. “It's like they’re stalking us.” Draco grimaced and turned, seeing the group had walked into the living room just after him. “What are they even doing here? Harpies lost.”

“Bell’s dating the Falcons’ beater. Or did you not know that?” Theo asked. Ah, well, that explained it.

Though Draco nearly laughed at the look on Wood’s face. He seemed rather uncomfortable being in his mortal enemy’s flat with the way his eyes kept darting around. Likely looking out for Flint. Draco then turned back to his friends, keeping his back to the group. He wasn’t about to be accused of staring, though Theo was once again studying him, the curious look back on his face. 

“Maybe they won’t stay long,” Blaise said.

“Why are you so bothered?” Theo asked. 

“She’s our _boss_ , Theo. _Our boss,_ ” Blaise said, turning to him. “Who we’ve been plotting to take down.” Theo just shrugged and took a drink.

“Maybe this will be an interesting night,” he mused, glancing at Draco again.

“Will be when Flint sees Wood’s here,” Draco said. 

“Surely not,” Theo said sensibly.

“Well, looks like you’re about to find out,” Blaise said, sounding far too entertained. Draco sighed and turned around, seeing that Flint had just stepped into the living room. His face was starting to go red as his eyes narrowed. 

“You,” he bellowed, his glare fixed on the Gryffindors. Draco had to admit, he was hoping Flint knocked Wood out as he watched the chaser lumber over. 

But much to Draco’s surprise, Flint wasn’t talking to Wood. No, he stopped right in front of Olivia, glaring down at her as she gazed innocently up at him. Draco began to worry slightly. Why would Flint go after her? 

It was then that Draco remembered the alley behind the bar. Ah, yes. When Olivia had completely emasculated Flint, even though the only witness was himself. Still, Flint wasn’t likely to let that go.

“Who let this slag in?” Flint demanded, looking around. Olivia laughed loudly, her hand firmly on Wood’s chest as she held him back. Wood looked furious, though Draco didn’t blame him, even he was struggling to keep from walking over and punching Flint. 

In fact he didn’t realize it until he was halfway there that he had been walking towards the three.

“Ah, so you _do_ have a small dick,” Olivia said lightly. Bloody hell, did she not have a bone of survival in her body at all? This was akin to poking a wet hippogriff. Which Draco knew all too well doing anything slightly aggressive was not good around a hippogriff - wet or otherwise. “Take it that’s still as wounded as your pride.”

Flint continued to glare down at her and Draco struggled to keep from laughing out loud. A stunned look had come over Oliver’s face as he watched on.

“I can take you down again, if you like,” Olivia offered, an eyebrow raised.

“Liv, I-”

“Hush, Oliver,” she said, cutting him off. “I’ve got this.” 

“What’s going on?” Bell asked, her expression concerned. 

“She attacked me at Oasis,” Flint said. He glanced around, his gaze falling on Draco. “You saw it Malfoy. Back me up.” 

Bugger. Draco stopped walking as every eye fell on him. Oliver seemed confused, looking from Olivia to Flint over to Draco. Olivia seemed slightly nervous, glancing from Draco to Wood. That told him that she most definitely had not mentioned that night to the Gryffindor. He cleared his throat.

“From what I remember, you were attacking her and she defended herself,” Draco said, turning a stern frown to Flint. He at least owed Olivia the truth of _that_ interaction. Flint narrowed his eyes at him.

“Should have known you’d take her side, Malfoy,” he growled. “I saw you-”

“So what if he helped me?” Olivia shouted, cutting Flint off before he said anything more. Draco had to admit that she had impeccable timing and great acting skills. “You had me trapped against the wall.” Flint returned to glaring at her. 

“I should kick you out,” he said. Olivia snorted. 

“Who said I wanted to stay,” she replied. She then turned and grabbed Oliver’s hand. “Happy to leave, in fact.” She then strode out of the room, a confused Wood at her side, though he managed to glare back at Flint before leaning down to whisper to Olivia. 

No one said anything until they were gone, though Draco had already started to back away, worried Flint might take his anger out on him in the absence of a Wood-shaped punching bag. Thankfully, Flint didn’t notice, instead stalking back to the kitchen for another drink as Draco let out a sigh of relief as he rejoined Theo and Blaise.

“Excuse me, but what was that?” Blaise asked. Draco’s eyes widened as he looked from one friend to the other. Blaise looked pissed that Draco had obviously been keeping something from him, though Theo appeared as though he had figured something out. Draco sighed and motioned for the two to follow him, his stomach churning as he tried to find somewhere more private to talk.

There was no way he could hide it now. Theo had heard the entire exchange with Flint and figured out that Draco had met Olivia before. Though he wondered if he could leave out the more… sordid details of the night. 

They had just stepped into a study when Blaise whirled on Draco, his eyes wide as he had literally just put it all together.

“Holy shit! She’s Liv!” he shouted. “De Loughery is THE Liv!” Draco groaned. So much for that thought. He really hoped that Blaise wouldn’t figure that bit out.

“Who’s Liv?” Theo asked, confused. 

“The bird that Draco abandoned us for that night a few weeks ago. At Oasis. Is that how you bloody met her? Defending her honor against Flint?” Blaise asked. “No wonder she went home with you. Birds like that whole knight in shining armour shit.”

“It was actually just before that… at the bar,” Draco said, really wishing he didn’t have to tell them. “She got the bartender’s attention so we could order drinks. Then I ran into her when I was trying to leave. Distracted Flint so she could knee him in the bollocks.” Both Theo and Blaise’s eyes widened though neither said a word. Certainly blew Blaise’s knight in shining armour theory out of the water. “She wouldn’t give me her name, just told me to find her again… and then I did - by accident, mind you - and she suggested we leave. Went to another bar and then… things happened.”

“I can’t believe it… You fucking shagged our boss,” Blaise said, a hint of awe in his voice.

“I didn’t know that’s who she was at the time otherwise I wouldn’t have invited her home with me,” Draco said, the irritation clear in his voice. “Would have saved me from a whole mess, if I’m being honest.”

“Everything suddenly makes sense now,” Blaise said. “Everything…”

“So that’s what it is,” Theo said calmly. “Why you’re so obsessed with her.”

“I’m not obsessed with her,” Draco scoffed. 

“But you are clearly attracted to her,” Theo stated, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“No,” Draco said firmly, though he wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince, his friends or himself. 

“We could use this,” Blaise said. 

“No,” Draco repeated, this time more firmly. Blaise frowned at him. “I report this to HR and I get in trouble too.” 

“Oh… right,” Blaise said. “Nevermind then…”

“And this doesn’t leave this room. Understood?” Draco said, looking back and forth between the two.

“I wasn’t going to say a word,” Theo said.

“I’m your best mate, seriously,” Blaise said, seeming offended. He then started smiling. “Merlin, that’s why Wood went all macho on you. She must have told him.” 

“I doubt that,” Draco said, rolling his eyes. “The way she cut off Flint before he could say anything else about that night tells me that she hasn’t mentioned anything about us to him and clearly didn’t want him to know.”

“I don’t think she’s told him about, well, _that_ , but I do think he senses something is up with you two,” Theo said. “Especially because Flint nearly slipped that you two left together. At least I assume that’s what he was about to say before she cut him off?”

“Yea… I didn’t even realize that anyone had seen us leave together, to be honest,” Draco said, now suddenly worried that someone else that night might have seen them. He was sure they were fine from the second bar, but there were loads of people at the first bar. “We were discreet, all things considering.” Blaise snorted and Draco shot him a look. “We weren’t all over each other, if that’s what you’re thinking. And, as I said, it was before she started at the Ministry and neither of us knew the other.”

“I’m not sure why you didn’t want us to know,” Theo said. “I mean, we weren’t going to judge you or anything. But I’m confused as to why you want to take her down so badly. Did it end on a bad note?”

“No, it’s not that… I just,” Draco stopped unsure of where he was going with this. “I’m confused. I don’t… really know where things stand with us, though we both agreed that it wouldn’t continue, nor would we tell anyone about it. She’s… difficult… but she really is brilliant. And…"

He stopped speaking, looking at Blaise, who was starting to grin, and then Theo, who had no reaction whatsoever on his face.

“You’re falling for her,” Blaise declared. Draco glared at him.

“I’m not! And you’re forgetting - she’s our boss and she’s currently dating Oliver Wood,” Draco said. “Nothing is going on with us and nothing can.”

“Minor obstacles. It was one date,” Blaise said, waving his hand in the air, causing Draco to roll his eyes. 

“Does this mean I can stop investigating her?” Theo asked. 

“Yes,” Draco said. “There’s really no point now, is there?”

“We need to change tactics. Instead of getting her out, we need to get her to dump Wood and choose you,” Blaise said, seeming far too eager to abandon their plan to destroy her career all of a sudden and shift gears. Draco just rolled his eyes. 

“No,” he said firmly. “We’re not doing anything remotely like that.”

“There’s always a way-”

“Stop it, Blaise,” Draco said, rubbing his temples. It had been a day, that’s for sure, and suddenly all he could think about was getting home. “I don’t want anymore plots to be honest. Not now that you know.” He then turned and started towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Blaise called out.

“Home,” Draco said, making his way down the hall and back to the party. He glanced around, seeing that Bell had left, likely following her cousin. Sighing, Draco made for the door and left before anymore big reveals could be made that night.


	10. Hot and Cold

**Hot and Cold**

_I’m lovin it…_

Draco sat on the stool in his office, staring down at his notes and then over at the empty cauldron. He had made some progress, but had once again hit a roadblock. He was unsure of where to go from here. It had been over two weeks since he had come clean to Blaise and Theo about Olivia. 

And she had barely spoken to him during that time. And the more she didn’t speak to him or check up on him, the more Draco found himself missing it. Which only added to the conflict already coursing through him.

It got to the point where Draco wondered if Wood had forbidden her from speaking to him, but he quickly dismissed that, feeling Olivia wasn’t the sort to let any man dictate who she did or didn’t speak too. She had more than proven she could stand on her own two feet.

And speaking of the stupid jock, nearly every other day, Olivia got another bouquet of flowers from him. Or he popped by to take her to lunch or pick her up for dinner. It was clearly nauseating, seeing how hard he was trying. Even if Wood didn’t come by the office or send anything, Draco would be forced to see another photograph of the couple in the news, though Olivia always attempted to cover her face and appeared uncomfortable in just about every one. 

But outside that, things appeared to be blissfully happy for the two, at least from what Draco could tell, which only left him feeling even more frustrated. Which in turn, kept him thoroughly distracted from his research. 

He needed to get over himself and Olivia De Loughrey and fast.

“You going to lunch?” Blaise asked, stepping into his doorway. Draco looked over at him and then down at his notes.

“Go ahead. I think I’m close to something here,” Draco said. Blaise sighed and nodded, before turning and leaving him.

Gradually all the noise in the office died out as everyone filed out for their lunch hour. Draco had lied, of course - he wasn’t on the cusp of anything - but he knew Blaise would want to talk about his admission and Draco just wasn’t in the mood.

“You’re not going out?”

Draco’s heart nearly stopped as he turned, seeing Olivia standing there, a look of concern on her face. 

“Ehm, no. Got some work here,” Draco said, pointing at his work table. 

“Ah, I see,” Olivia said. She didn’t move, rather just stood there a few moments. 

“Actually, I could use some help,” Draco said, surprised at how soft his voice was. Olivia’s eyes widened as though the last thing she expected was for Draco to ask her for something. She walked in, her heels clicking against the stone floor as she looked over his notes. 

She was so close to him that he could smell her perfume - it was the same thing she had worn that night at the bar and for a moment, it took him back. But once again, he stopped himself from going there. 

_“She’s happily dating Oliver Wood. And she’s your boss… it can’t happen,”_ he mentally reminded himself.

“How long have you been stuck?” she asked, glancing up at him, her brow furrowed. She then went back to studying his notes.

“Few days,” he admitted. Olivia looked up at him. “Two weeks.” A faint smile came over her face as she rolled up her sleeves and then reached for a quill. “Still trying to figure out where exactly I went wrong the last time… even though you basically showed me.”

“Well… I could see how you could make the wrong calculations. You didn’t take into consideration how the amount would react to this… this… and this,” she said, circling a few things. “But if you adjust all by… this much, you should… yea, that should work.” She wrote a few more things down and then backed away, allowing him to look over her work.

“Seems sound,” he admitted, glancing at her. He then looked towards the door. “Wood not coming today?”

“No, he’s held up at practice,” Olivia said. She then took a deep breath, her lips pursed slightly. “And well… I feel like I owe you an apology… I want to apologize for… well, the party and match. What he said to you. I’m not sure what got into him. I haven’t told him about that night. Figured it wasn’t any of his business. And it’s still… really new and all.” 

“I… that’s fine… if you want to tell him,” Draco said, then wondering if that would be a colossal mistake. But he couldn’t take it back now. “I mean… he is your boyfriend and all. I’m just… one night.”

“And my subordinate. We work together. The last thing I need is him worrying about something that isn’t there,” Olivia said. 

“Right,” Draco said, turning back to his notes, managing to hide the fact that her comment had stung. “How did you handle everything with Flint?”

“Told him the truth - that you happened to be there when Flint made a pass at me. But I didn’t know that we would be working together at the time. Everything else… well, didn’t want to get into that right now. As I said,” she replied. Draco nodded. 

“You think you could help me put this together?” Draco asked. Olivia stared at him a few moments and then smiled.

“Sure,” she said, walking over to grab an apron off a hook on the wall and putting it on. Draco watched her, causing her to stop. “Just in case we screwed up the calculations again.” 

For whatever reason, Draco found himself chuckling.

“Probably not a bad idea,” he said, walking over to pull one on himself. 

The two set to work in mostly silence, though it wasn’t uncomfortable. They only really spoke to ask questions about ingredients, the two checking with each other before adding anything. It was far smoother than any other time that Olivia had been in his office and Draco found himself enjoying it, though part of him missed the banter just a bit. 

They were chopping up roots when Draco glanced over at her.

“Any luck with the Night Heather?” he asked, wondering if she had actually looked into it. Olivia sighed heavily.

“The board said no,” she said, frowning. “But I’m tracking down some other leads…” 

“You mean the black market?” Draco asked, his eyebrows rising slightly. That didn’t seem like something she would do. Perhaps there was a devious side to her. Actually, well, he already knew that. But… no. He was not about to think about that night again.

“Saving that for a last resort, but I still have some other options,” she said, tensing slightly. She glanced at him. “I’m thinking about asking my father…”

“Your father?” Draco asked, now understanding why she was tense. She nodded.

“He works in import and exports - rare and sometimes dangerous items. If anyone can get us Night Heather, it’s him. Though I don’t really like asking him for help… But it’s that, black market or trying to grow it ourselves,” she said. She then stopped, looking up. “Though… that might be a better option…”

“Isn’t it illegal to grow without a license?” Draco asked. Olivia shrugged, returning to her work. 

“It’s a possibility,” she said. She then gathered up the roots, preparing to put them in the cauldron. She then stopped, frowning as she looked at the swirling liquid. “Something seems off.” 

Draco looked at the cauldron, thinking that it was progressing as intended. 

“We should be fine,” he countered.

“Let me double check the calculations again,” Olivia said, turning back to the notes.

“You did them yourself, shouldn’t they be perfect?” Draco asked dryly, his frustration growing slightly. They had gotten this far and he didn’t want to stop now. But at the same time, he wondered just why he was acting hostile all of a sudden towards her. Olivia shot him a look and then went back to the notes.

“Forgive me if I don’t want to be covered in muck again,” she muttered. 

Draco waited a few moments and then looked around at the remaining ingredients before gathering them up. 

“It’s fine,” he said, not wanting to wait any longer. He had let her take the lead far too much as it was. 

“Draco, wait. If you would listen to me, I think something is missing,” she said, putting her hand up.

“If you would listen to me, I think I know my own damn potion,” he griped, not stopping. He wasn’t sure just why his hackles were up, but he felt like he needed to prove himself capable to her. 

“I told you - something is off,” Olivia said, her voice a bit harsher. 

“And I’m telling you - it’s fine,” Draco shot back.

“Don’t-”

But it was too late, Draco dumped in the ingredients and stirred them. The both of them froze a moment, waiting, before Olivia started backing up slightly, worried it was about to explode again. He held his breath, worried for a moment that she would be right - again.

But instead of an explosion, a puff of smoke emitted from the concoction and then it continued to simmer. Draco smiled smugly as he looked over at her.

“I told you - I know what I’m doing,” he said. 

“This time,” Olivia replied. Draco frowned as he rounded on her.

“What exactly is your problem?” he asked, his anger getting the better of him. After everything over the last few weeks, he felt himself coming to his own boiling point as he scowled at her. “You take my position - something I’ve been working on for years, mind you. And then you treat me like I’m some silly first year who doesn’t know what he’s doing. I’m damn good at my job, in case you didn’t know.”

Olivia frowned at him, her eyes starting to narrow.

“Yes, I know that you’re good. But I also know that you have to be pushed if you want to be better,” she said. 

Pushed? Well, he would show her pushing.

“So we’re back to that again? You’re only trying to help? That’s bollocks. You’re just trying to assert your control over me and this whole damn department!” he shouted. “We’re all sick of it, to be honest!”

Olivia huffed slightly as a haggard laugh escaped her lips. 

“I’m trying to take this department to the next level, yourself included!” she shouted back, crossing her arms in front of her. 

“Forgive me if I don’t believe you,” Draco snapped. “Besides, what do you have to prove? You’re no better than me! You called me a pureblood prick, but aren’t you the same?! The De Loughreys are fucking royalty in New York, yet you pretend that you’re not anything like me! That you’re above it all. We the fucking same, Liv!”

Olivia’s nostrils flared slightly as her eyes widened and immediately Draco regretted what he had said. He knew part of her story, but only part. It was unfair of him to say anything about her family.

What’s more, he had called her Liv. It slipped out in the heat of the moment. Shit. He hoped no one had heard that.

“Get this straight, Malfoy,” she hissed, stepping closer to him. “I _am_ trying to make you better. God, you don’t even understand the full potential of what you’re working on! The applications! But if you don’t want my help. If you think I’m being a control freak, then maybe you don’t deserve my help!” They stared at each other a few moments, neither saying anything. “And you don’t know shit about me, so stop with the fucking assumptions. Just because my father is Oliver De Loughrey doesn’t mean I had everything handed to me. I worked my ass off to get to where I am. So just… ugh.” 

She turned and started towards the door before stopping and looking back at him.

“Forget it. This is… hopeless,” she said before turning and storming out. Draco could see a few others had returned from lunch and were looking into his office. He glared at them before turning around and going to his notes.

He wanted to throw something, but felt it best not to make more of a scene. He then grimaced, thinking over what she had said to him. It was true he didn’t know everything about her. But even with what he did know, he shouldn’t have brought up her background or her family when he already sensed it was a sensitive topic. Groaning, he sat down on his stool.

He hadn’t wanted to insult her or hurt her, and then he had done just that. Allowed his frustration to get the better of him and reverted to old coping mechanisms. Hurt them before they hurt you. Looking towards his office door, he knew that he needed to apologize. But not now. Not in front of everyone. 

Turning back to his worktable, he decided he would wait until everyone had left for the day.

Then he would talk to her when they were alone.

~~~

Draco continued to glance out of his office door every few minutes, checking to see who was left and praying that Olivia wouldn’t leave early. It was a Friday night and for all he knew, she had another date with Wood. But thankfully, everytime he checked, Olivia was still at her desk, working her way through a pile of papers. 

Finally, the last person left and he straightened his shirt and stepped out of his office, walking straight into hers. 

Olivia glanced up at him and then back down at her work.

“What do you want?” she asked coldly. “Come to get more off your chest?”

“I want to… apologize,” he said. Olivia paused and sat up, fixing him in a stern glare.

“Why do you sound unsure about that?” she asked. Draco sighed and shook his head.

“I’m not so good at admitting I’m wrong,” he offered, smiling slightly. Olivia didn’t speak a few moments. “You were right before about the potion. And you are brilliant in your work. I should be listening more to you, but… I allow my ego to get in the way. I’m sorry.” She still didn’t speak. “And I shouldn’t have brought up your background… you’re right… again… I don’t know anything about you or what you’ve been through.”

Olivia remained silent a bit longer before sighing and reaching for a piece of paper, scribbling something down on it. She then stood and walked over to him, holding it out. 

“Come here tomorrow at 2 p.m.” she said. Draco frowned slightly.

“Why not tonight? Big date?” he asked without thinking. Olivia narrowed her eyes and started to pull the paper back. “I’m sorry! It slipped out. I’ll work on it.” She stopped and then held the paper out to him. He took it, seeing an address written down. 

Olivia then turned and walked back to her desk. 

“That’s all,” she said, dismissing him. Draco nodded and then turned, walking out of the office. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing Olivia staring at the parchments, frowning slightly as though she were worried about something.

She then shook her head and got back to work. Looking back down at the paper, Draco wondered just what he was getting himself into.


	11. The Other Side

**The Other Side**

_Too high, can’t come down…_

Draco stood outside the townhouse and looked down at the paper and then back up. It was large, but not nearly as new as his own. Noticeably older. But it was still nice. He walked up the path and stood in front of the door a few moments before knocking. He then stepped back and waited.

Not a few moments passed before the door opened and Olivia stood there dressed in an old t-shirt and a pair of shorts, her hair pulled up in a messy ponytail. 

“You made it,” she said, almost as though she didn’t think that he would come. 

“Not as though you gave me much of a choice,” he replied. 

“Right…” Olivia said. She then stepped back, motioning him inside. Draco walked in and looked around at the entryway, suddenly realizing that she had invited him to her home. 

For a moment, he panicked. Something inside him told him that this was a massive step - potentially a mistake - but he managed to swallow his nerves as he followed her up the stairs, his curiosity growing. Why had she invited him here? She then pushed open a door and they walked into a massive library with a huge, top of the line potion set up that took up two large tables in front of the window, along with some sort of setup involving glass tubes and containers. There were other tables covered in various other equipment.

He had never seen anything like it before. This was far more advanced that even what he worked with at the Ministry.

“I like to work on my stuff at home. In private,” she explained quickly, her nerves apparent. She walked over and began fiddling with a few glass tubes, then glanced over at him. “I, ah, like to marry no-maj with magic… chemistry sets make it a lot easier to brew potions. Just wish the rest of the world would get on board with it.”

“This is… impressive,” Draco said, finding it was the only thing he could think to say about it. “But… why am I here?” 

Olivia took a deep breath and slowly let it out, turning to lean against the table as she wrapped her arms around herself. 

“Okay, so I told you that I was interested in your work. That was one of the main reasons I took the job,” she confessed. “I think what you’re working on… I think that it could help in my own research. If we work together.” Draco’s mouth nearly dropped open, but he didn’t say anything, waiting for her to continue. “So my father… he _is_ pureblood, but my mother isn’t. In fact… my grandparents are no-maj… and well, my grandmother is sick. Really sick. It’s called Alzheimer’s.” She pushed off a table and walked over to a desk, picking up some papers. “It affects the memory… over time the person’s brain is affected by the illness until eventually… they completely forget who they are and everything.” She walked back over, holding the papers out to him. 

Immediately, he felt his heart go out to her. Bloody hell, he had been a right bastard to her and she was dealing with this. Fuck, he felt like the world’s largest prat.

“I’ve been using magic and no-maj science to try and find a cure for the last two years,” she said. “I’ve had some success, but something is… missing… and I think it might be you.” 

Draco’s eyes widened as she began chewing on her lower lip, obviously nervous about everything she had just told him.

“Me?” he asked, finding it the best place to start.

“Yes, well, I guess your research, to be more specific. You’ve been working in potions that affect the mind. Protect it. I think that what you’re doing and what I’m doing… if we combine it, we might be able to find the missing pieces for both of us,” she said, turning back to the potions set. 

Draco looked down, going through her notes as she started walking him through everything she had done over the last two years. Eventually he walked over and sat down, watching her intently as she mapped out her formulas on a chalkboard, taking the time to explain the muggle bits of science that he didn’t understand. 

It was, in a word, massive. A huge undertaking. And if they managed to figure it out, it would be a breakthrough not only in the magical world but in the muggle world as well. Scientists had been studying this disease for years, but were no closer to a cure or proper treatment. But all on her own, Olivia managed to make several advancements that even they hadn’t. Was close to an experimental treatment, even.

Not to mention, if they managed to unlock just what it would take to repair the mind, they could use that to engineer something that could even protect it from not only the disease, but others. And from magical means to damage the mind. 

Olivia De Loughrey was far more brilliant than he had originally thought. He now understood why she had gotten the position over him. This wasn’t even on his radar. And, if it were even possible, he found himself even more attracted to her. But that was definitely not something to be thinking about right now.

Draco silently took it in for several minutes after she finished talking, noticing that the sun was now lower in the sky.

“This is…”

“Impossible, I know. But I can’t give up now,” Olivia said vehemently.

“I wasn’t going to say that,” Draco said, looking up at her. “It’s… mad, yes. But if we could do this… create potions that have applications in both the muggle world and the magical, it would be… revolutionary.” He stood and walked over to the chalkboard, taking in her formulas and calculations. “Advance both worlds in one go. By… decades.” 

He looked over at her, seeing hope beginning to fill her eyes.

“So, you’ll help me?” she asked. A slow grin spread across his face.

“You think I would pass on what could potentially be the biggest breakthrough in potions in our lifetime? Obviously not,” he replied. “I do have a reputation to uphold.”

Olivia nodded, looking back to the chalkboard, her face lit up in a happy grin.

“Good, okay… where do we start?” she asked. He looked back at the board and then pointed at a formula that was only half done.

“This… I think if we can figure this out, then we might be able to work out some of the other problems,” he said, concentrating on it. He then stepped back, putting the papers down as he slid off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. “Just how are you getting all these ingredients?”

“Greenhouse in the basement,” she said. “And I grow some things in the backyard. I can show you, if you want.”

“Later,” he said, eager to get to work on the formula. 

“And I definitely think you’re right about the Night Heather. I’ve been looking up everything I can find on it. But we need to get our hands on some to research it more,” she added.

“Agreed, but later,” he said, still staring at the board.

He stood and stared at it a long time, as Olivia walked over to one of the bookshelves and pulled off a few books, walking them over to the desk and starting to leaf through them.

“I keep thinking I’ve seen something similar, but I can’t seem to remember what or where,” she said. 

Draco hummed, but didn’t stop looking at the formula. He then stepped up and started writing. For the next couple of hours, they pondered over the problem, occasionally bouncing ideas off each other. Some they dismissed rather quickly. Others they wrote down to consider later.

As exhilarating as he found his own work, this was something far more challenging and Draco was immediately hooked, finding himself focused in a way he hadn’t been in a long time. 

Finally as the sun was slipping beneath the horizon, he jumped up and dashed over to the board, crazy energy buzzing through him. Olivia looked over at him from where she was sitting behind her desk, her eyes wide.

“What if we did…. This,” he said, stepping back and looking over his work. 

He felt rather than saw Olivia step over to his side, carefully going over it. Her eyes then widened as her mouth dropped open.

“Oh my god, Draco,” she said, gasping. “I’ve been stuck on this for months…” She then squealed and jumped around, turning to him. She threw her arms around his neck, laughing loudly. “Holy fuck - you figured it out, you brilliant man, you!” 

Draco found himself laughing as she stepped back, though kept her arms around his neck, her blue eyes lit up with excitement. 

“We need to celebrate,” she said, suddenly letting go of him and walking over to a liquor cabinet that he hadn’t noticed before. He found himself wishing her arms were still around him. Just as quickly he told himself to stop it.

“We haven’t tested it yet,” he said cautiously.

“But still! This is just the first step!” she said, walking back over with two glasses of firewhiskey. “This is the start of a beautiful relationship - I can feel it.” Draco took it and looked back at the board, vaguely aware that she had walked back over to her desk. She walked back, holding a photo frame. 

He couldn’t but help think it was the start of something beautiful as well. Just what though, he wasn’t sure.

Draco looked down at the photograph, seeing a young Olivia with an older couple. He had seen them before. In the photograph that Theo had shown him. Draco felt his stomach twist.

“This is Grams,” she said softly, a shimmer of tears in her eyes. She looked back up at the board. “And we’re one step closer to saving her…”

Draco found something inside him stirring again. He wanted to help her - to help her family. More than anything. And he wasn’t completely sure just why. Well, that wasn’t true. He knew why. Because he wanted to help Olivia. 

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that he knew her story. He knew about her mother dying. To ask her more about her life with the De Loughreys. To tell her his own story. But he didn’t. It seemed like too much for now. And things were just now in a good place. He didn’t want to ruin that by confessing what he had been doing. But he couldn’t help as the guilt settled in his stomach.

“So… you hungry? I think I have some food around here or we could order in,” Olivia said, turning to him. “I mean, unless you have plans or anything. Figure we could eat and keep working.”

“I don’t have any plans,” Draco said. Olivia smiled and looked back at the board.

“What’s all this?” 

The two of them jumped and spun around, seeing a confused Wood standing in the doorway to the library, his brown eyes fixed on Draco. 

“Oh… fuck,” Olivia muttered. “I’m so sorry. We were working and I just… completely forgot. Draco - you know Oliver. Oliver, Draco. This is… work.” Draco looked over at her, his eyebrows raised. “I, um, we have plans tonight. Oliver and I.” She looked over at Wood and for a moment, Draco swore the look in her eyes was disappointment. That she had a date with her boyfriend. 

But he pushed it aside, thinking it ridiculous. Of course she would want to spend the evening with her boyfriend. 

“It’s fine,” he said, offering her a tense smile. It wasn’t fine, but there was nothing he could do about it. Wood was currently staring daggers at him. “We can pick this up later.” Olivia smiled in relief.

“Tomorrow? Same time? Or you can come over earlier,” she said. 

“Of course,” he said. He then finished his drink and put the glass down on the table before walking over and picking up his jacket. “Good to see you, Wood,” he said with a short nod as he walked past him and out of the library, feeling a distinct chill coming from the quidditch player.

Part of him was expecting to hear yelling once he stepped out, but instead it was low murmurs. Low enough that he couldn’t hear what they were saying. He picked up the pace, making his way through the house and out the front door. 

Only when he was outside did he stop and look back at the house. Sighing heavily, he turned and continued on his way, wishing more than anything that they hadn’t been interrupted.

Or that he was the one staying and Wood was leaving.


	12. Coming Clean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter from Liv's point of view. Honestly, I had intended to write everything from Draco's perspective, but when I was editing earlier chapters I realized it would make things better if I threw in things from Liv. Oh, and the Olivia-Oliver thing - totally accidental. I had been set on the name Liv (Olivia) and the story behind it (which we learn coming up) from the plotting stages and totally didn't think about it when I set her up with Oliver... Oops?

**Coming Clean**

_Losing my head, spinning ‘round and ‘round…_

Liv glanced nervously from the stove up at Oliver, who was looking out the windows that led to the back garden. She then went back to cooking, taking a large drink of her wine to help calm her nerves. She had legitimately forgotten he was planning to come over for dinner night, she was so caught up in work with Draco. She knew she should have brought him over before now, but with everything between them, she wasn’t sure she could handle bringing him into her house.

But at the same time, from the moment they started working, she knew that bringing him in was the right move and would ultimately help her research - which was much bigger than just her and even her family. Yes, she was doing this for Grams, but if she could save others from going through the torture of gradually losing everything in your mind that made you you, then it was worth it.

But that wasn’t the important thing in this moment. From the stern clenching of Oliver’s jaw, she knew that they were about to have a conversation she wasn’t ready to have, though she knew she should have had with him weeks ago.

She knew that she should have been completely honest with him when he asked her about that night with Flint. Why Draco was there. What had happened afterwards. She wasn’t even sure why she didn’t tell him. Maybe because she wasn’t completely sure what her feelings were on that. Was she still attracted to Draco? Yes. But there was no future there, she knew this. As long as she was his boss, there couldn’t be. The rules were very clear on that aspect. Not to mention, even without that, she wanted them to work together. 

And sleeping with your work partner sounded like a sure way to complicate things. At least doing it regularly. She hadn’t known that night, which was her one saving grace.

She moved the pan from the stove, turning it off, focusing on the task and finding some comfort in that.

“So… why was he here?” Oliver finally asked. She looked up, seeing that he was looking at her. He didn’t look angry, which she thought was at least a small mercy. But she wasn’t sure she liked the lingering hurt that was there instead.

“I told you, we’re working on research together,” she said, looking back down at the food as she portioned it out onto plates.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this before?” he asked. She took a deep breath and looked up at him.

“My work is… I don’t often talk about it,” she said. “It’s… personal.” He just stared at her. She conveniently left out that every other time she tried, his eyes glazed over. “You know that my grandparents are no-maj, er, muggle.” He nodded. “My grandmother was diagnosed with a degenerative disease two years ago. It’s stealing her memory. I’m trying to fix that and Draco is helping me.” 

Oliver took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She didn’t miss the slight wince when she had said his name. God, were people here really that adverse to using first names? Or read into it that much? He was just her co-worker for crying out loud. Okay, well, maybe more than that...

“That wasn’t so bad. Why couldn’t you tell me that?” he asked. Liv shrugged and looked away, her brow furrowed.

“I don’t like to talk about my personal life,” she said.

“Liv… we’re dating. I think we’re at that point. You’ve already told me other things,” he said. She looked over at him. “I mean… you don’t have to tell me everything and you can take your time with it. But you don’t have to hide things from me.” 

“I know,” she said, swallowing thickly. He then took another deep breath.

“Why Malfoy? There are loads of others in the department. Why does it have to be him?” he asked. “And is there more there that you’re not telling me?” Olivia frowned. “Merlin, I’ve seen the way he looks at you. Just… be honest with me.”

She looked down at the food, going back and forth. She then took her own deep breath and looked up, meeting his eyes. 

“I took the job because I wanted to work with him specifically,” she stated. Oliver didn’t react, not at first. Olivia rushed into the next part. “He’s one of the top potioneers in the world, Oliver. And he’s working on something that would help my research. And my research will help him in his. It… overlaps. A lot. I’d be crazy not to take that opportunity.” He nodded slowly. He looked to the ground a few moments and then back up at her.

“And about that night?” he asked softly. Liv looked away again, chewing on her lower lip. She then closed her eyes. Fuck. She should have known he would realize there was more about that night.

“I didn’t know it was him,” she said. “I thought… it was just one, random night. I was out with Katie and Alicia and the bar was… shit. I wanted to leave. I saw him at the bar and helped him get a drink and then later on, he helped me with Flint. We were flirting and… one thing led to another.” She opened her eyes, but still didn’t look at him, but she was sure that her cheeks were a flaming shade of red.

She then brought herself to look over at Oliver, preparing herself for whatever expression he might have. His face was blank, as though he was still trying to process what she was saying. Liv took a deep breath and walked over to him. She had to make a choice, she knew. She could end things with Oliver now, but then what? 

She knew that she couldn’t be with Draco. Not like that. Her career and research depended on it. But was it fair to continue things with Oliver like this?

“It was nothing. Just a night. It was before I met you. Before I knew that he was… well, him. That he was ‘D. Malfoy’ - which was the name on all the projects and papers I read on him. But nothing is going on with Draco. We’re just working together. That’s it,” she said, bracing herself. 

Oliver stared down at her, his expression unreadable. He then sighed and nodded his head.

“Okay,” he finally said. 

“Okay?” Liv asked.

“If you tell me that there’s nothing with Malfoy, then I believe you,” he said. Liv breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t sure why she wanted him to believe her - she wasn’t even sure just what _this_ was. What anything was. But she liked having Oliver in her life. She wasn’t ready to let him go, she realized in that moment. “But… just be careful, Liv. You weren’t here for the war, you don’t know what he and his family did.” Liv frowned.

She knew about the war, well, in the way one could by reading newspapers and such. But then she remembered that Oliver, Draco, Katie, all the others - they had lived it. Lost people. They had fought.

“Malfoy… he and his family were Death Eaters,” Oliver continued. Liv’s eyes widened. She knew what that name meant. “They were working closely with You Know Who. I can’t believe that they didn’t end up in jail after everything. And honestly, I can’t believe that you didn’t know about this. But at the same time, I see now why you’d work with him. You didn’t know the truth.”

“I… didn’t really connect his name or anything,” she said, feeling the breath leave her. She knew Draco was from old money. Pureblood. But she hadn’t known that his family was on the other side of the war. 

But… he hadn’t seemed like that. Not now. Harsh at times? Yes. And definitely had a chip on his shoulder. He had walls, but so did she. But he had hurt people. Innocent people. Just because they weren’t pureblood like he was. Or had no magic. Did he still think that way? Had he wanted to do that? She had told him the truth about her grandparents and he still agreed to work with her. Hadn’t treated her any differently.

In fact, she thought they worked really well together. 

“I’m just warning you, be careful with him, Liv,” Oliver said, reaching out to rub her arms. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“He wouldn’t… he wouldn’t physically harm me,” Liv said, but at the same time, would he? She realized that she still didn’t really know Draco. Not outside of his work.

“I don’t think he’d do that now, no, but he’s still Draco Malfoy. Former Death Eater and a Slytherin. He could do anything underhanded,” Oliver said, his brow furrowed. “Including stealing your work.” 

Liv scoffed slightly. 

“He, surely he wouldn’t do that,” she said, stepping back from him. Draco couldn’t possibly be capable of that, could he?

“You don’t know him like I do, Liv,” Oliver said, frowning. “I can see how important this is to you, this research. Just… be careful.” 

Liv smiled at him, though she knew it was likely strained. 

“I will. I promise. I can take care of myself, Oliver,” she said softly. He smiled and bent down, kissing her forehead. 

“I know,” he said. He then looked over at the kitchen. “Smells amazing, whatever it is.” Liv chuckled, looking over her shoulder and then back at him.

“Nothing special,” she said, blushing slightly. God, that smile of his. It did a number on her.

“I’m sure I’ll love it,” he said, pecking her on the lips and then walking back to the counter.

Liv took a deep breath, turning to watch him. He glanced at her, smiling again, as he picked up a plate and took a bite, a bit of sauce dribbling down his chin.

“Merlin,” he said, reaching for a napkin with a chuckle. Liv couldn’t help but chuckle back.

Yes, this is what she needed. She came to Britain for a new start. To get away from her previous life. From the rigid world that her father and his name demanded that she conform to. She couldn’t go back to it.

Draco was from that world.

But somewhere in the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but think about that afternoon. Talking to him. Working through complex potions and finding solutions. Oliver didn’t stimulate her mind like Draco did. Yes, Oliver was kind. Understanding. Seemed to genuinely care about her. He didn’t care that she was the illegitimate daughter of one of the richest wizards in New York. That she hated that life and wanted no part of it. 

And yes, the sex was good, but that wasn’t why she was with him. Relationships were more than just good sex.

But there was still something missing. She knew it. But there was time. She’d find it.

~~~

Liv sat on the edge of her desk in the library, pouring over her notes. She then looked up at the board that Draco was pacing in front of. They had been stuck for hours and the sun was once again starting to set outside the large windows. 

At this rate, they would be up half the night trying to figure this out, though she knew they would have to give it up at some point. They both had work tomorrow morning.

“God, I feel like it’s… right there,” she groaned, tossing the papers aside. She ran her fingers through her hair and then slammed them down on the desk at her sides, her frustration boiling over.

They had been working so well, and then now. Another roadblock in a seemingly unending line of roadblocks.

“Just… relax. It’ll come to us,” Draco said gently from the other side of the room. She looked up at him, something unfamiliar in his voice.

Meeting his eyes, she saw something burning in their grey depths. Gulping, she quickly looked away. That was dangerous. The way he was looking at her. He couldn’t look at her like that.

“Sorry… just… this is frustrating,” she said. She heard his footsteps against the floor. She didn’t need to look up to know that he was standing in front of her. 

“We’ll figure this out, Liv,” he said. “Look at me.”

Liv looked up, meeting his eyes finally. There was something in there that hadn’t been there moments before when they were working. Something that shouldn’t be there.

“Draco…” she said, shaking her head. “Don’t do this… You can’t look at me like that.” 

“Like what?” he asked. While his voice was light, his expression was still serious and it caused her stomach to twist and turn. 

He didn’t move closer. Or reach out to touch her. But just standing there, gazing at her with that burning in his eyes. Liv couldn’t help as it got harder to breathe.

“I told you… this… that… it can’t happen,” she said, her voice shaking slightly.

“Forgive me if I feel you don’t sound so convinced,” he replied. 

“This is work. Research. Nothing more,” she said, pushing her voice to be firm. 

“This is about that damn quidditch player,” Draco said, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“No. Oliver is… well. Yes. Okay. I mean. I’m with _him,_ Draco,” Liv said, finding it hard to focus her thoughts. God, she needed to get away from him. Create more space in between them. Look away from his eyes. 

But she couldn’t move or look away.

Finally, Draco moved, leaning towards her. 

“But is that who you really want to be with?” he asked, his voice low. “He doesn’t fully understand you. Know what you’re capable of.”

“And you think you know me better?” she asked, frowning. “You barely know me. And I… I know _nothing_ about you.” He didn’t flinch, just held her gaze. 

“I know how I make you feel. How you make me feel,” he said. “We’re a much better match, and you know it, Liv. You think he can keep up with that brilliant mind of yours? Challenge you the way I do? You know he can’t.”

“But maybe I don’t want that. Maybe I want what _he_ gives me,” Liv said, her voice shaking again. God, why couldn’t she look away? Or push him away? Her knuckles were going white, she was gripping the desk so hard. But at the same time, she could feel it. The way he affected her. It was more than just turning her on or stimulating her mind.

It was as though Draco Malfoy was in her veins, slowly infecting her. And she enjoyed it. Wanted him to completely consume her. 

He moved closer, his face mere centimeters from hers.

“Deep down, you know what you want. The question is, are you going to be too afraid to take it?” he whispered. 

“I… I…”

“Take it, Liv. I’m giving it to you practically gift wrapped. Take. It.”

Without taking a breath, Liv’s hands launched forward, grabbing his neck and pulling him towards her, her lips crashing against his. His hands gripped her hips, pulling her closer to him, nearly lifting her off the desk. Whatever warnings that might have been there were oddly silent.

Because she knew that she did want _this_. 

~~~

Liv’s eyes flew open as she stared up at the ceiling of her bedroom, her heart still pounding. 

It was just a dream. She hadn’t done anything. Acted on her deepest desires.

But she still felt guilty.

Turning her head, she saw Oliver still fast asleep next to her, his mouth slightly open as he breathed in and out. Swallowing, she looked back up at the ceiling a few moments before she gently and slowly got out of bed, not wanting to wake him. 

She stepped over to a chair and quickly pulled on a t-shirt and cotton shorts lying there before grabbing a light robe and quietly making her way out of the room, glancing over her shoulder at Oliver one last time.

Making her way through the dark house, she didn’t stop until she stepped into the library, turning on all the lights and coming to stop in front of her board. Her face was still flushed from the dream, the guilt still churning in her stomach. While she knew that she had no control over her dreams, she couldn’t help but feel ashamed that after everything from that evening - talking to Oliver, assuring him that there was nothing between her and Draco - she was still having steamy dreams about him.

Well, no. This wasn’t just a steamy dream. She had chosen Draco over Oliver in the dream. But it was just a dream, she reminded herself. She hadn’t _actually_ chosen him. And it was more than just a rule at the office that kept her from acting on these thoughts and such. Knowing now what she did about him now, that he had been with _them_ in the war. How could she ever trust him?

She couldn’t. There was no way. 

Staring at the board, she wondered if she had made a mistake inviting Draco into her research. Would he steal her life’s work? Put his own name on it? Everything she had read about him so far told her he wasn’t like that. But how did she _really_ know?

Sighing, she walked over and sat down at her desk, pulling out a piece of parchment and staring at it a few moments before reaching for a quill and jotting something down. Short and simple. That was the best way. She then put it in an envelope, addressed it and set it aside to send out in the morning. 

While Liv wasn’t sure about a lot of things, she knew that she definitely needed another day to think about where she went on this research and how involved she wanted to let Draco get. 

“Reckoned you be here.”

Liv looked over, seeing a groggy Oliver in the doorway, wearing only his boxers. He rubbed his eyes and then offered her a sleepy smile as he walked in and went to the board. 

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.

“Yea… just a formula is bugging me,” she lied. He looked over his shoulder at her and then back at the board.

“I’ll admit… this all seems gibberish to me, but… I’m a good listener,” he said, finally turning and walking over to the desk. He leaned against it next to her. “Sometimes talking something out can help loosen up the mind a bit. Least it helps me.”

Liv looked over at the board and nodded. She then took a deep breath and met his eyes again.

“Okay… well… there’s this theory that Viridian had on counteracting potions that bewitch the mind…”


	13. Changes

**Changes**

_Do you feel me now?_

Something felt off as Draco walked into the Ministry on Monday morning. He tried to rationalize that Olivia’s note first thing Sunday morning cancelling their meeting wasn’t anything usual. It didn’t mean anything in particular, he told himself. She was just tired, that’s all. They had spent hours working on research on Saturday as it was.

That had to be it. She was just tired from all the work they did on Saturday. He didn’t want to think that it had anything at all to do with her boyfriend showing up, whether he was pissed off about Draco being there and said something... or something else.

Draco didn’t want to think about something else. That Wood was the reason Olivia was too tired to meet. That just got him worked up over something he had no right to be worked up over.

But none of it changed the fact that Wood hadn’t seemed all that happy that he had walked into Olivia’s house on Saturday and found him there. A whole manner of scenarios ran through Draco’s mind. He knew Wood didn’t trust him - there weren’t many Gryffindors who did. But did he pass on this distrust to Olivia as that’s why she cancelled? 

And just when they had found a comfortable place around each other that wasn’t full of arguing.

Saturday had been a rush, taking on something complex and working through the various obstacles that were in their way. He felt that he was doing something worthwhile. Something that would help a large amount of people. And maybe, perhaps, people would stop looking at him with distrust or disgust.

Perhaps he could finally show others that it wasn’t truly “once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater.” That he, Draco Malfoy, had changed. And that being Slytherin didn’t necessarily make one evil or conniving. 

Regardless of whatever it was, Draco’s stomach was twisting as he walked into the main office that morning and saw Olivia already seated at her desk, going over paperwork though hardly anyone was there yet. Glancing around, Draco cleared his throat and then crossed the room, knocking on the open door.

Olivia looked up, her eyes wide as though she wasn’t expecting to see him, her face paling slightly. This wasn’t good, he thought as his heart sank slightly. Merlin, what had Wood told her? Surely she didn’t fear for her life around him.

“Draco. You’re early,” she said, starting to shift papers around nervously, looking away from him. He could tell that she was attempting to keep her voice light and airy, but it came across more as strained. “What can I do for you?” 

“Since we couldn’t meet up yesterday, I was wondering if we could discuss your research,” he said. “Spent some time working on it, and I think I’ve some ideas that we could work on. I’ve got a few experiments I’d like to get to work on this week as well.”

Olivia stopped shifting papers and looked up at him.

“Right. Sure. Um, maybe not right now. I’ve got a lot of reports that I need to catch up on this morning. But later,” she said, appearing vague and as though she was avoiding his eyes. 

Draco sighed, trying to hide his disappointment.

“Of course, I understand,” he said. He then turned and made his way to his office, hearing someone calling out to him. Though it wasn’t Olivia, so he ignored it, continuing to walk as he went over the exchange in his mind.

Was this because of Wood? Did he tell her to distance herself? Knowing the keeper, he likely told her a bunch of shite about Draco’s past. He then stopped as he entered his office, remembering what she had confessed over the weekend.

Her grandparents were muggle. Her mother was muggleborn. She was part muggle.

Draco grimaced, feeling more strongly than ever that the insufferable Gryffindor had told her about the war and his own past. It wasn’t as though it was a deep, dark secret - everyone else in the office knew about it. But he had never brought it up to Olivia himself and he probably should have. Gotten in front of it before someone else could use the opportunity to paint him in a negative light.

She was part muggle and he was a former Death Eater. There was no way she would fully trust him now. 

He turned, glancing at his door and wondering if he should go back in right now and explain everything - that he had changed and no longer wished to live life like that. That he was a completely different person. 

But more and more people were now pouring into the office. 

The last thing he wanted to do was to make a scene, especially one that could potentially have everyone questioning their relationship. Not that they had one, but still. If anyone so much as suspected they were involved, they might both be out of a job. Merlin, why did this have to be so complicated?

Draco turned back to look around his office and then down at his briefcase where he had the notes from this weekend. He figured the best thing to do at this point was to get to work and wait for his opportunity to explain.

~~~

“Draco,” Blaise said cheerfully as he stepped into Draco’s office that afternoon.

“Not now,” Draco drawled, his focus on his notes as he worked at his desk. He had been trying to work out a rather complicated formula for the last hour and felt he was getting rather close. He didn’t need Blaise distracting him right now. 

It had taken him all morning just to get to the point where he could focus on work and not continue thinking about what he was going to do about Olivia.

“What’s gotten into you?” Blaise asked. “It’s like something’s come over the office. Boss has been locked up in her office all day. You’re avoiding everyone, which granted, you do most days. But you’re also avoiding me, which I take personal offense to. Bones keeps coming out of her office to check on something, Merlin knows what, scurries back in as soon as someone looks at her. Then Harolds blew up his office - never does that…”

Draco sat up and looked over at Blaise, unsure about where he was going with all this. So everyone in the office was having an off day. Not his fault.

“Your point?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“My point is, are you and the boss still on the outs from Friday or did something else happen this weekend?” Blaise asked. 

Draco glared at him, but when Blaise obviously wasn’t about to leave until he got an answer, he sighed, waving his wand and shutting his office door. He wasn’t about to let anyone else over hear this conversation.

“Something did happen this weekend,” he admitted. Blaise’s eyes lit up. 

“I knew it. This was all new levels of awkwardness. She won’t even _look_ at you without her cheeks going flush,” he said, moving to sit on a stool. 

“I, what?” Draco asked. He hadn’t caught that. What the bloody hell had happened after he left on Saturday? Blaise chuckled. 

“Start from the beginning. After the fight on Friday,” he said. Draco sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

“I went to apologize and she gave me an address. Told me to be there on Saturday afternoon,” he said. “It was her house.”

“No fu-”

“Shut it, Blaise. It wasn’t anything like that,” Draco said, cutting him off. “We’re working on some research together.” Blaise started to open his mouth again. “A _work_ project. Revolutionary potion that has potential to… change everything.” Draco stopped a moment, glancing at his best friend and wondering just how much he should tell him. He decided to leave out the more personal things Olivia had told him. “Anyway, we lost track of time and it got late. Then Wood showed up.”

“Ah, I see… he catch you in a dubious or compromising position?” Blaise asked, thoroughly enjoying this.

“No,” Draco said, frowning. “We were just standing in the library working on formulas. _Potions_ formulas, before you try to twist that.” Blaise rolled his eyes. “I left, but before that, she asked if I could come back on Sunday. But then yesterday, I get an owl in the morning saying she has to cancel and that she would see me today at the office.”

He looked over at Blaise, who seemed slightly lost in thought. 

“I have no idea what’s going on, but I’m fairly certain it’s something to do with something Wood told her after I left,” Draco said. 

“But you’ve changed,” Blaise said, his brow furrowed. 

“Wood doesn’t understand that,” Draco griped. “Likely mentioned all sorts of bollocks to her. He hates all Slytherins. And now she’s probably second-guessing her decision to bring me on board with her research.” 

“So, I’m to understand that this has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that both of you are _clearly_ in love with each other, but are too scared to say or do anything about it,” Blaise said casually. 

“I am not in love with her,” Draco said with a haggard laugh. “That is just… it’s ludicrous. I barely know her, Blaise.”

“You know more about her than you’re letting on,” Blaise said. Draco frowned at him. “Right, well, okay… let me rephrase. You two clearly have feelings for each other.”

“And she’s my boss. We can’t date _and_ work together,” Draco said. “Policy. And did you manage to forget that she’s currently dating Wood?”

“Ah, but I did just get you to agree that you have feelings for her,” Blaise said. Draco stared at him. He had said nothing of the sort. He then just realized how he had answered the question. He groaned and fell back in his chair.

“Doesn’t matter. We can’t… there’s no way that _we’re_ going to happen. That night, it was only one night. And again - Wood,” Draco said. “All of… this… is probably because he told her all about my past and now she’s worried I’m going to steal her work or use it for nefarious reasons.”

Blaise studied Draco a few moments before standing and walking over to him, placing his arm on his shoulder. 

“Whatever it is, Draco, you’re never going to know unless you talk to her about it,” Blaise said, appearing serious for a moment. “And really, she owes it to you to at the very least hear your side of it before she goes off believing anything that tosser says.” Draco sighed. “And maybe while you’re at it, confess your undying love for her.” Draco narrowed his eyes at Blaise as he began chuckling and walking towards the door.

“I’m not-”

“I know… I know,” Blaise said, continuing on. He pulled the door open and stopped, grinning at him. “Good luck.” He then winked and left Draco’s office.

Huffing slightly, Draco looked down at his work spread out around him. How on earth was he supposed to focus now? Blasted Blaise. Now all Draco could think about was how he felt about Olivia.

Earlier all he had to worry about was how she had reacted to his past. Now everything seemed far more complicated. What exactly was it that he was feeling for her? He needed to just… sit down and think about this logically.

Okay.

He had had a one-night stand with her. And if he were being truly honest with himself, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since then. At first, it was because he wanted more. Then he thought it was purely a desire to get even. To take back the job that she had stolen from him. But then he got to know her. Saw her brilliance firsthand.

Learned that she had taken the position specifically to work with him. He then learned about all her background. And she had opened up to him. Told her about her grandmother. How she was trying to save her. Shared her research.

Those were the facts. 

His heart raced slightly whenever he was around her. He wanted nothing more than to see her smile. Wanted to make her smile. The thought of seeing her with Wood infuriated him.

He wanted to be with her.

Draco looked up towards his door, looking out into the main office. Without thinking, he started to stand, but stopped. 

No, he couldn’t do this. It was crazy. He was just going to work with her, nothing more. Hopefully, make history, yes, but definitely nothing more than that. Right. He needed to get back to work.

~~~

Draco paced around his office, his mind whirling as he moved from parchment to parchment. He had no idea what time it was, but he was so close. He then stopped, reaching for a quill and beginning to scribble down furiously. 

A grin filled his face as he lifted it up, going over it again. Yes. This was it. It had taken him all day, but he finally got it. 

“Yes,” he exclaimed softly.

“Find something?”

Draco spun around, seeing Olivia standing there, shifting nervously on her feet. He rushed over and grabbed her shoulders.

“I figured it!” he shouted. He let go of her and held the sheet out. “It was bothering me all weekend, but I’ve got it. We can start experimenting!” He looked back up at Olivia, seeing her eyes wide as she grabbed the paper and looked over it, walking into his office. 

Her lips moved slightly as she went over his work. She then looked up at him, an odd look on her face. She then looked back down at the page.

“This is… amazing work, Draco,” she said. “I couldn’t get this out of my head either. But… wow…” A smile came over her face as she looked up at him. She then took a deep breath and looked down at the floor, her smile fading slightly.

Oh, hell. He had forgotten. Wood.

“We, ah, we have some things to go over,” she said, finally meeting his eyes again. “You think you could come over tonight? We can work on this some more.”

“You still want to work with me?” he asked. 

“I… yea… I think so, but there’s some… things,” she said awkwardly. She then shook her head and looked up at him, resolution filling her eyes. “Meet me at my place in an hour? I… we shouldn’t go together… you know…”

“Yes, of course. I understand,” Draco said quickly. Olivia nodded and then held the parchment out to him.

“See you soon,” she said. She then strode out of the room, leaving Draco alone. He looked down at the sheet and then back up to the doorway where she had just disappeared. 

Whatever was going on, it seemed he was about to find out. 

Tonight.


	14. Floodgates

**Floodgates**

_With a taste of your lips, I’m on a ride…_

Draco took a deep breath as he walked up the path to Olivia’s house. He stopped on the doorstep and then knocked, his anxiety growing as he waited. Soon enough, the door opened and Olivia appeared, a strained smile on her face. She had changed out of her work robes, he noted. For some reason, he found he liked this version of Olivia better. Laidback. Stripped of everything that made her part of the pureblood world.

Right, that wasn’t what he should be focusing on right now.

She stepped back to let him in and he then quietly followed her through the house to the library. She didn’t say anything until she got there, whirling around to face him rather suddenly as though she wanted to speak before she lost her nerve. And perhaps her laboratory was some sort of safe haven that gave her strength.

“Why do you want to help me?” she asked pointedly.

“I… what?” he asked, not completely expecting that question. She thought she would go for his past first, though he supposed going for his motives first made sense. 

“Why do you want to help me in my research?” she asked, rewording it. 

“Because it’s possibly going to be one of the greatest potion discoveries in history,” he said immediately. She continued to stare at him. “And… well… I know that it’s important to you. I want to help you and your family.”

“Are you planning to steal my work?” she then asked bluntly. 

And there it was. While he had been expecting her to question his motives, it still stung and he couldn’t help but feel offended. And well, he had hoped that his suspicions would be wrong - that Wood hadn’t convinced her not to trust him.

“Take it that’s what Wood told you I’d do, isn’t it?” he asked, quickly masking his look of disappointment with a hardened scowl. “That the only reason I could possibly be working with you would be so that I could steal your work?”

“Well, are you?” she pushed, though he could see her resolve faltering slightly. But still, she wanted an answer, that was clear.

“No, Liv. I’m not here to steal your work. I’m here to help make one of the greatest discoveries of our time,” he said tiredly, bringing his hand up to rub his temple. “But really, I shouldn’t be surprised. That’s what Death Eaters do, isn’t it? Lie, cheat, steal? Kill? Torture?” 

Olivia remained silent as he began pacing, years of anger and resentment boiling up. Draco had paid for his crimes, so why did the rest of the wizarding world insist on throwing it in his face every chance it got? 

“You know, I’ve spent years… YEARS… trying to show that I’m not like that anymore. I’ve paid for what I did. Literally and figuratively. I built this damn department from the ground up to try and make a positive contribution to the world. But no one is ever going to let me forget that I allowed my father to coerce me into the worst mistake of my life, are they? Even you and you weren’t even bloody here!” he shouted.

Olivia jumped, slightly startled, and then opened her mouth to speak, but didn’t say anything. 

“Do you have any idea what it was like?” he asked, turning to face her as he stopped pacing. “Yea, sure, when I was younger, I bought into all that shite. When I was kid and didn’t know any better because that’s what my parents taught me. And then I thought I had to! Because it’s what a bloody, fucking Malfoy did! And then… fuck!” 

He looked away as he ran his fingers through his hair, his heart racing like crazy. He wanted to keep shouting and to lash out. But he knew that it wasn’t completely fair to Olivia. It wasn’t her fault. She hadn’t even been a part of any of it. But he needed her to understand. To hear it all - the good and the bad.

“The things that they did. That they enjoyed doing. The things they made me do… And I…” he stopped speaking his eyes traveling around the room, looking anywhere but at her. He wasn’t sure he could keep talking if he looked at her right now. “I was powerless to stop any of it. Couldn’t even walk away. Or I suppose that I could have, but I didn’t. I stayed. Because I knew if I left, they would punish my mother for it. I didn’t care what they did to me or my father, but I couldn’t let them hurt my mother.”

He finally looked over at her, seeing her blue eyes wide and glistening with tears. Hell, that was not what he wanted. He hadn’t meant to make her cry. 

“Liv, you don’t… I’m sorry. This isn’t about you. Just… you have to understand… with Wood being who he is and me being… We’re just destined to never trust each other,” he said with a sigh. “Everyone… they think that I’ll never change. That I’ll always be a Death Eater, believing that I’m better than everyone because of the fact I was born into a pureblood family. Blood status doesn’t mean shit. It doesn’t give you a brilliant mind or bravery or… anything. Sometimes it gives you privileges others don’t have, money, but… I’ve spent the last several years trying to prove to the world and I guess in a way to myself, that I’m not that person anymore. That I can make a difference. That I’m not defined by my past or my fucking pureblood name.

“And to make amends for what I did back then. But Merlin, some days I wonder why I even bother when so many refuse to believe me,” he said haggardly.

“I believe you,” she said, her voice soft. He looked back at her. “I do. And I trust you. I know you won’t steal my work or... Sure we had a rocky start in the office, but I don’t think you’re some… monster. And really, I think I owe _you_ the apology.”

“You don’t-”

“But I do. When Oliver was telling me about your past, I jumped to conclusions when I should have come straight to you and asked you about it. I mean, that’s what we’re supposed to do as scientists, yea? Get all of the facts before we come to a conclusion? And, part of me even then knew that you weren’t like. Not now. You’ve done nothing so far to make me think that I can’t trust you,” she said, taking a step towards him.

Draco couldn’t help but think he had, though she didn’t know. Hadn’t he been plotting to try and take her job not all that long ago? To ruin her career. Though he was grateful that they hadn’t acted upon it and dropped the plot entirely, he still felt guilty. 

But he hadn’t really known Liv then. Once he started to learn more about her and who she was, there was no way he could ever intentionally hurt her, he realized.

“I’ve got trust issues too,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself as she looked to the floor. “Nothing like that, but… Suppose I should start from the very beginning... ” She took a deep breath. 

“My parents met at Ilvermorny their first year. At first my father and his friends… they didn’t really make life easy for my mother. Her parents were no-maj and all. And she was from a poor neighborhood. But in private, he was kind to her… started treating her nicer in public and all. And then… they fell in love.” 

Olivia didn’t look at him as she spoke and Draco wasn’t sure why she was afraid to look at him. But from the way she hesitated here and there, he surmised that this was a story she didn’t often tell. He wanted to walk across the room and take her in his arms, let her know that it was okay to tell him, but he didn’t.

“As you probably know, my mother was not what my father’s family would consider a good match, but he didn’t care… or so she told me,” she said. “They were going to run away, but the night they had planned to, he didn’t show up. Instead it was his mother and she told my mother a bunch of lies, or - I don’t know. Mom kept trying to get in touch with him, but she couldn’t. And she saw the engagement announcement and that’s when my family moved to Arkansas. She found out about me afterwards… she never told him. But she named me after him. Guess since I was the last piece of him she had.” 

Olivia finally looked up at him, meeting his eyes. Her own were brimming with tears.

“Life was good with my mom and grandparents. I loved Arkansas. We were still pretty poor, but we got by and had a happy life. And then… the fairy tale ended. Mom died in a… a car accident… Mom never told me the full truth of who my father was, but she said that she loved him and he would have loved me. She loved him until the day she died,” Olivia said. “And then one day after... he showed up with a letter from my grandmother. She thought he had a right to know about me. To be in my life. What she didn’t expect was that he was going to take me away from them. But he was my father, and he was a De Loughrey. Even among no-majs, money always has power.”

Draco swallowed and looked at the ground, sliding his hands into his pockets.

“I know,” he said softly.

“What?” Olivia asked. He glanced up at her.

“I… looked into you before,” he said. “Heard about your mother’s death… going to the De Loughreys. I didn’t know your family was muggle until you told me or any of the details, though.” He stopped, taking another deep breath, preparing himself for what he was going to say next. 

“Suppose it’s not a big secret,” Olivia said, stopping him. He looked back at her. “Everyone in New York knows. They never let me forget it, actually. My step-mother. Brother and sister. Classmates. They all liked to remind me that I wasn’t them. I wasn’t a pureblood and I didn’t deserve anything that my father gave me. And God… it was like… he was trying to make up for lost time and… I just resented it even though I understood he had good intentions.”

Draco frowned, suddenly feeling angry at everyone who ever hurt her. Told her that she wasn’t good enough. Her blood status had nothing to do with it. Even now, he could see the shadows of the pain in her eyes.

“So, I threw myself into my work. Class and everything. To try and prove to everyone that it didn’t matter who my mother was or my father. That I didn’t want to be like _them_. I wanted to succeed on my own merit - not because of money or a name,” she said, a steely resolve entering her voice. “And soon enough… all those voices just… faded away. I didn’t need my father’s name or his money - though God help him, he tries. I do know that he loves me, but... I could do this on my own - I needed to. I could make my own way and no one else mattered except those I love.” She took a few steps towards him. “So… I do get it. I know what it’s like to feel like you’re fighting against the current to prove that you’re not what everyone thinks you are.”

Finally, she was in front of him, taking his hands in hers. Draco couldn’t speak, afraid of what would come out. She was standing before him, vulnerable. Telling him things she didn’t tell many. The wall she normally hid behind was gone, and Draco found he wanted to tear down his own.

Even if part of him still worried she would turn away from him.

“We’re really not that different, Draco,” she said softly. “And I think we need each other more than either of us thought.” He tightened his grip on her hands as he looked into her eyes. He finally nodded.

“I think you’re right,” he said, his voice barely a whisper.

Olivia sniffed a bit, letting go of his hands as she looked around the room, brushing hers lightly under her eyes. 

“Well, then, I think we need to get to work making history, don’t you?” she asked, not meeting his eyes. But he knew why. It was why he was fighting to look away from her. Because they both saw something more in each other’s eyes than they had meant to show. He finally looked to the board.

“I agree,” he said, trying to fall into work mode, though it was proving hard. Merlin, as if he needed more of a reason to fall for her. 

But he needed to focus, now more than anything.

~~~

Draco bent over, watching as the liquid in the glass container swirled together over the open flame. It was a few hours later and their previous attempts at this test had failed, but Olivia insisted on one more try before they called it a night.

They had made slight adjustments, but even he wasn’t sure if it would work. 

“Okay… so… I add this and it should turn yellow if we’re doing it right,” she said, holding a test tube full of another liquid. “Really need to get that damn Night Heather…”

“Did you ever speak to your father?” Draco asked, glancing at her.

“Sent a letter but haven’t heard back yet. Checked into a few other leads as well,” she said, her brow furrowed in concentration. “But back to this. We get this right and we’re one step closer…”

Draco held his breath, watching as she twisted her wrist and the liquid fell into the larger glass. His entire body was tense as he watched the two swirl and mix together, waiting for the color to change. It became cloudy, then a murky white. For a moment, he felt disappointed that they had once again gotten it wrong.

But then suddenly, it changed again, becoming a burnt orange before finally settling into a sunny yellow.

His eyes widened as he turned to Olivia said, a grin quickly filling her face.

“Holy shit… we did it!” she shouted, before jumping into his arms. Draco couldn’t help but laugh as he twirled her around the room. He then put her back down and smiled down at her, still holding onto her waist as she kept her arms around his neck. “God… I should have brought you on sooner.”

“I am rather brilliant, I know,” Draco joked, smirking slightly. Olivia rolled her eyes.

But then she met his gaze again and for a moment, it was as though time had stopped. He could feel his heart starting to thump in his chest and swore he could feel hers doing the same. Olivia didn’t move away from him, just continued to stare up at him. Without realizing, Draco leaned down towards her. She licked her lips and much to his surprise, started rising on her toes to meet him.

But just as his eyes drifted closed, they flew open and he turned his head. This wasn’t right. She had a boyfriend. She was his boss. They were work partners, nothing more. And they were both acting on a high from making a breakthrough, nothing more. If he allowed this to happen, they would both regret it.

“Sorry… so, I, ehm, just remembered I should get somewhere,” he said, letting go of her and walking away.

“Right, sure. Sorry. It’s late and we both have work tomorrow,” she replied. Draco stopped a moment, wondering if his ears were playing tricks on him. Because he swore he heard disappointment in her voice.

He walked over and picked up his wand and jacket, finally turning to look at her. He offered a smile and wave.

“See you tomorrow,” he said.

“Yep, sure thing!” Olivia said, though he could tell her enthusiasm was a bit forced. She then turned to the potion set, her focus completely on the small vial of yellow liquid.

Draco turned and quickly walked through the house, making his way out the front door. On her step, he stopped and took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair again. Fuck. He had almost made a massive mistake. It could have ruined everything. He looked back up at the house a moment and then started down the path.

“Get yourself together,” he muttered.

As he passed through the gate, he heard a rustle in the bushes that ran up and down the walk. He stopped, looking up and down the sidewalk on both sides, frowning, but saw nothing. He then sighed and continued walking towards his home. Probably just an animal, he told himself.

And he had bigger things to worry about at the moment.

~~~

Draco was groggy when he heard the doorbell. For a moment, he thought it was in his head, but managed to peel his eyes open when it sounded again. Shaking the vestiges of sleep from his mind, he got up, glancing at his clock.

It was the middle of the night. Who the hell was at his door in the middle of the night?

“I’m coming!” he shouted when it sounded again, feeling irritated. It had taken him hours to fall asleep after working with Liv. And then very nearly kissing her.

At this rate, he might as well just stay up the rest of the night because there was no way he was going to get back to sleep. He was fairly sure it was Blaise. He had shown up drunk on Draco’s doorstep in the middle of the night too often for it not to be.

“What the hell do you-“

Draco froze after he yanked the door open, his eyes widening as he saw Liv standing on his front porch. They stared at each other a moment before she launched forward, her arms going around him as she kissed him.

His body reacted all on its own, pulling her into the house as he kicked the door shut and then pressed her up against it. He then managed to get control of himself and pull away.

“I… we can’t… Liv,” he said, in between breaths. She was breathing just as heavily as she peered up at him. “Wood… the office…”

“I don’t fucking care, Draco,” she said. “And I don’t think you do either.”

“But-“

“Stop fighting the inevitable,” Liv said, cutting him off with a smile. “Let it happen.” He gulped as he stared down at her a few moments and then started smiling.

“You’re right… fuck it,” he said, before bending down and kissing her again, this time a bit less desperate.

He then reached down, pulling her up into his arms before he turned and started up the stairs.

Consequences be damned, he was going to stop fighting it.

~~~ 

Draco landed on the floor with a thump as a curse hissed from his lips. He then looked around his bedroom, finding he was still in his cotton sleep pants and entirely alone. Rubbing his head, he stood, just wondering how it was he had fallen out of his bed.

And how a dream could be so vivid.

His fingers trailed over his lips and he swore they were slightly swollen. But he knew they couldn’t be – it had been just a dream. Liv wasn’t really here. Hadn’t shown up on his doorstep in the middle of the night.

Sighing, he sat on the edge of his bed, rubbing his face before he looked over at the clock on his nightstand. In just a few short hours, he would have to face her and pretend that he hadn’t nearly kissed her last night.

That he wasn’t falling hopelessly for her.

No, he would walk into the office and they would be superior and subordinate. Then later at her private lab, they would be work partners. Equals. But never anything more. He would watch her continue to date Wood. Perhaps someday they would get married.

An ache entered Draco’s heart. This wasn’t the first time he had to watch someone he cared for choose another. But this time hurt a lot more than all those others.

Sighing, Draco pushed off the bed, deciding he might as well get ready.

There was no way he was going back to sleep after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And everything comes out... and then two steps forward, one step back...


	15. Awkward Mistakes

**Awkward Mistakes**

_You’re toxic, I’m slippin’ under…_

“Blaise! Could you come here?” Draco shouted not long after Olivia stepped into his office a few days later. Olivia pursed her lips slightly, as she watched the doorway nervously, keeping to the opposite side of his office as though Draco was going to attack her at any given moment.

Blaise sauntered in, looking from Olivia to Draco, then smirking as he took in the wide berth between them and their tense body language. Draco silently prayed that he at least watched his mouth this time.

Though he knew nothing about Monday night, Blaise was thoroughly entertained by the current status of things between Draco and their boss, and Draco was nearly ready to smack him for it.

“What can I do for you?” Blaise asked casually. He glanced over at Olivia. “Looking lovely today, boss. Is that a new dress?” Draco fought from rolling his eyes as Olivia stared at him suspiciously, then glanced at Draco.

“Thanks, Blaise,” she said. “And no.”

“Ah, well it looks particularly lovely regardless,” Blaise said grandly. Draco did roll his eyes at that, then glanced over at Olivia, seeing the smallest of smiles cross her face.

“We were wondering if you could check this over and let us know what you think,” Draco said, holding the parchment out to him. Blaise winked at him as he took it, causing Draco to narrow his eyes. 

While neither Olivia nor Draco had spoken about the almost kiss, an unspoken rule had somehow sprung up that next day at the office. That it was best they weren’t left alone for too long. Draco wasn’t exactly sure how this had become a regular thing. All he knew was that he walked into her office to discuss the project the morning after the near kiss, and she quickly called in her new assistant to take notes for them who had magically appeared that day. Then when she had popped into his office to go over a formula later that same day, he had called in Blaise for another opinion and to “bounce ideas off.”

He had been calling Blaise in for second opinions quite a lot since then and his best friend was obviously enjoying watching the two of them squirm, even if Draco refused to tell him just exactly what was going on.

And as annoying as Blaise was getting, Draco still didn’t trust himself to be alone with her. Every time he met her eyes or she stepped too close to him, he was back to the moment in her lab, the two leaning towards each other. The feeling of her in his arms.

It was too incredibly dangerous.

And needless to say, Draco hadn’t been back to her private lab, though he knew that eventually he would have to go. They couldn’t keep working together like this. Eventually they would have to get over the awkwardness. But at the moment, Draco wasn’t completely sure how with both too nervous and scared to bring it up.

“So, what do you think?” Olivia asked, looking at Blaise.

“I’m not sure why the two of you insist on continuing to drag me in for a second opinion. The work’s spot on and far more advanced than anything I’ve worked on,” he said, handing the page back to Draco. “Perhaps we should just address the erumpent in the room?”

Blaise started grinning as confusion came over Olivia’s face, then it paled.

“Okay, thank you, Blaise,” Draco said loudly, starting to push him out of his office before Blaise could say anything else that would potentially embarrass him or anger Olivia. While she knew Blaise was his best friend, he wasn’t sure how she might react to finding out that he knew about their one night. And everything else.

“But, I really think you should-”

“Enough,” Draco said sternly, shoving him out and nearly slamming his office door shut before realizing what he was doing. Right, shutting the door was a bad idea. “Ehm… sorry about that.” He looked over at Olivia watching him with a furrowed brow. “Blaise is… well, Blaise.”

“Something going on there that I should know about?” she asked, pointing towards the door.

“No, nothing at all,” Draco said, though he swore his voice went a pitch higher. Olivia’s eyebrows rose.

“Actually-“

Draco slammed the door shut just as Blaise attempted to walk back in, glaring at him through the frosted glass. There was silence a few moments and then suddenly, Draco heard a chuckle. He looked over, seeing Olivia grinning and then full-on laughing.

“God, what’s wrong with us,” she said, holding her sides. Draco wondered for a moment if she was losing it, but then found himself starting to laugh as well. In a second, it was as if some sort of ice broke and he realized just how ridiculous the two of them had been acting the last few days. “He knows, doesn’t he? About that night?” Olivia asked.

“I’m sorry,” Draco said. “I told him the next day, but I didn’t tell him it was you when I found out. He, unfortunately, figured that all out on his own. But he won’t tell anyone.” Olivia continued chuckling, completely surprising Draco. He was sure she’d be beyond pissed.

“It’s fine, I guess. I mean… I told Katie,” she said, a blush coming over her cheeks. “About… everything.” Draco’s eyes widened.

“About that night… and…” he stopped speaking, looking down at his feet.

“This is stupid. We’re adults,” Olivia said. He looked back up at her. “We gotta get over this if we’re going to work together.”

“You’re right,” he said. “It’s… I’m sorry.” He wanted to be more specific – to say that he was sorry for putting them in an awkward position in the first place. For nearly kissing her. For pushing the boundaries that she had so clearly set for them. For… everything.

But the look in her eyes told him that she understood. Though he couldn’t say anything more than those two words in the office, she knew what he was saying to her.

“Me too,” she replied, finally calming down. “Think we could get back to real work today?” Draco nodded, eager to get into the lab. “Good. I’ll probably have to work a bit late - got some reports to file, but we can head over to the lab after I’ve finished, if that’s okay. Oh, and… I’ve got a good lead on the Night Heather.”

Draco’s eyes widened in surprise. She certainly had been busy the last few days.

“Wait, how?” he asked, dropping his voice slightly in case it was something slightly less than legal. Olivia just chuckled as she stepped over to his office door and pulled it open. Blaise was still standing there with a frown on his face, though she deftly stepped around him.

“Relax, it’ll be fine,” she said, easily returning to her old self.

“Why do I feel those are famous last words?” Draco called after her. Blaise looked after Olivia and then back at Draco in confusion.

“Trust me, Draco!” came the response. 

“What are you-“

“Later, Blaise,” Draco said, shutting the door to his office.

A smile played across his lips as he walked back to his desk, and picked up a pile of notes, going over them in preparation for going to Olivia’s lab that night. In an instant, they were back to something comfortable. What’s more, she had a lead on Night Heather – finally.

He still wasn’t sure how he was going to handle everything going forward, but for the time being, he would focus on the fact that at least they could work together.

Perhaps over time he would get to a point where it didn’t hurt as much – watching her in a relationship with someone else. That he could be around her without his heart racing or the urge to wrap his arms around her. 

Perhaps. 

~~~ 

“Hullo, Draco.”

“No, Blaise,” Draco said without looking up from his work, not in the mood. He sat at his desk going over some notes that Olivia’s assistant had dropped off just after lunch. When Draco had asked after her, the poor frazzled woman said she had been locked to her desk working on a number of reports that HR had suddenly requested.

“You don’t even know what I’m here for,” Blaise said cheerfully.

“I know that you’re likely to annoy the hell out of me,” Draco said, still not looking up.

“I’m hurt. I thought we were best mates,” Blaise replied. Draco looked up at him, his eyebrows raised. Blaise waved his wand, shutting the door. Draco sighed and sat back in his chair, rubbing his face.

There was no escape now, though he wished Blaise would at least wait to do this until they were outside the office and somewhere more private. Draco cursed under his breath. 

“Right then, you’ve had some sort of breakthrough,” Blaise said as he sat down and crossed his legs, a shit-eating grin on his face.

“We’re working together on a project,” Draco said dryly. “We’ve made a few breakthroughs on that.”

“Yes, I know. A _secret_ project,” Blaise said. “At a _secret_ lab. That happens to be at her house. And things have changed suddenly and a lot over the last couple days, but you’ve been mum on the details. I just wanted to remind you that as your best mate who has played chaperone far longer than I care to, you owe me details. Since you’ve been avoiding me and my owls, I’ve had no choice but to corner you here. So… speak.”

Draco only stared at Blaise, who continued grinning at him.

“I’ll sit here until you finally tell me,” Blaise said, settling in and checking his fingernails.

Draco knew that he would happily sit there until he finally talked. Sighing, he waved his wand, making sure that no eavesdroppers could listen in as Blaise sat up in his chair, his grin growing if that was even possible.

“Please tell me you two have fu-“

“We’ve done nothing of the sort,” Draco said sternly while he grimaced. Of course, Blaise would go directly to that strain of thought. “Can’t we talk about this elsewhere?” He glanced nervously toward the door.

“No one will hear us. You’re brilliant with charms,” Blaise said. “Tell me what _actually_ happened. I take it you spoke with her about your past.”

“Yes, turns out Wood did warn her about me,” Draco said.

“And she seems to have ignored it,” Blaise said happily.

“Not at first. You saw how she was,” Draco said. Blaise leaned towards him. Draco rolled his eyes. “I’m not giving you all the details, but we worked it out and we’re planning to continue working on the research together. But that’s it.”

Draco turned back to his notes.

“Come on, Draco. There’s most definitely more than that. I can tell,” Blaise whined. Draco glanced up at him, an eyebrow raised.

“Why are you so interested in this?” he asked.

“I’m interested because it’s been ages since you’ve been involved with anyone,” Blaise said. “And I’m your best friend. Like it or not, I do care about your well-being and happiness.” Draco looked down at his work again. “Draco… I can tell that you’re serious about this one.”

“I’ve told you, Blaise-“

“Yes, I know. _Nothing can happen. It’s against policy. She’s got a boyfriend_ ,” Blaise grumbled. “Draco, you’re using all that as an excuse not to act, you coward.”

Draco stopped writing, looking up at his best friend. He didn’t say anything, but his eyes narrowed.

“Because, really, there are ways around all of that. You can transfer to another department. Or, we both know you don’t need the Ministry. You could quit and start your own research company. You have the money. Take on her research as a private enterprise. Either way, she’s no long your boss. Policy – not an issue,” Blaise continued.

“I’m not quitting,” Draco replied.

“And in terms of Wood, well, I’m fairly sure we could come up with a plan for that,” Blaise continued, ignoring Draco. “Wouldn’t even need to, now that I think of it. Judging by the way she acts around you that I’ve seen, I think we just need to take care of the boss thing first and then she’ll gladly give up the tosser for you.”

Draco groaned and sat back in his chair, rubbing his temples. It wasn’t so much that Blaise was annoying him, but it was because he was making sense, which made him uncomfortable. Draco _wa_ s making excuses. It wouldn’t be so difficult if he really wanted to be with Liv. There were ways. Hell, they could even keep the damn thing a secret until they figured something out, but he didn’t really relish that idea.

If he and Liv were together, Draco felt as though he’d want everyone to know.

However, she seemed just as determined to ignore the fact they could work around the blocks that were keeping them apart. Perhaps because she was afraid. Or more likely, she didn’t want to end things with Wood. That despite whatever attraction she might hold for Draco, she cared for him more.

He shifted in his chair, frowning as he thought that over. He then shook his head. It would do no one any good for him to continue agonizing over this. For the time being, Olivia was with Wood and still his boss. Meaning they could not be together. He didn’t even know if she was attracted to him in that way. The near-kiss wasn’t enough now that he thought it over. She probably didn’t think of him in that way.

He was just a one-night stand.

Draco returned to his work, causing Blaise to groan in frustration.

“Theo agrees with me, you know,” Blaise said.

“Agrees with what?” Draco asked.

“He thinks you should confess your feelings to her,” Blaise said. Draco glanced up at him and then back down at the parchment.

“Get out, Blaise, you’re annoying me,” he said harshly.

Blaise sighed heavily and shook his head as he stood.

“Fine, live in denial,” he said, walking towards the door. “You’ll never be happy this way, you know?”

“Good-bye, Blaise,” Draco said, not looking up.

He heard the door open and assumed Blaise had finally left him in peace. Though his quill came to a stop as he glanced up to the open door.

Blaise was right, this Draco knew. But what was he supposed to do about it? 

~~~ 

Draco stretched and looked at his watch, noticing that it was far later than he expected. Glancing behind him, he saw the office was completely empty and he wondered why Olivia hadn’t popped by yet. Was she still working?

Sighing, he stood and made his way to the door, planning to go check on her. He was surprised to see the door to her office mostly shut. She never left it shut. Something had to be wrong. Quickening his pace, he looked through the window and saw her standing in front of her desk, her back to him. Then a large form blocked her from view. 

Draco was nearly running and had his hand out to throw open the door, his heart pounding. He then heard Olivia’s voice and stopped.

“God… that feels so good…”

Draco’s face reddened as he realized what was going on. He peeked through the crack in the door, recognizing Wood. The bugger must have walked in without him realizing. He really was quiet for a large bloke.

The ache in Draco’s chest grew as he turned, trying to block out the image of Wood’s arms around her waist, his head down as he nuzzled her neck, likely feathering kisses across her skin that would have her melting at his touch.

“I told you… we shouldn’t do this… God…” There was a sharp intake of breath and Draco sped up, intending to get his things and leave as quickly as possible. This was the absolute last thing he needed today. “God, you really do know just what to do to drive me crazy, Draco…”

Draco froze, his eyes widening. Surely she hadn’t just said what she thought he did.

“I beg your pardon?” Wood asked angrily. “Draco?”

Shit. She had actually said it. 

Draco glanced over his shoulder, seeing Olivia spin around to face Wood through the window, her eyes wide in embarrassment as her mouth dropped open. Draco turned and quickly ducked into his office, shutting the door. The last thing he wanted was for Wood to see him right now. Though he then opened it a crack, not wanting to miss the conversation either.

Why had Olivia said his name?

“Seriously, Liv!” Wood shouted. “I thought you said there was nothing going on!”

“There is nothing going on! I swear. I’m sorry… I don’t know what that was,” she replied. “Can’t we talk about this?”

“We’ve already talked about it! Just… figure out what the hell it is you want and let me know, will you?”

Draco tensed and then ran over to his desk and picked up random papers as he heard Wood walking through the office, just in case he decided to storm in. 

But at the same time, Draco couldn’t help but feel a bit delirious. Olivia had been in her office when her boyfriend snuck in. And she had thought it was him. Had said _his_ name, not Wood’s. 

Merlin… she had feelings for him too. Draco looked up from the parchment he had been pretending to study as the realization slammed into him. Sure he had been curious, seen some signs. But this had to confirm it didn’t it? Or at the very least, she had been fantasizing about him.

He wasn’t sure if it changed anything, but a small bubble of hope filled his chest as he stood from his chair and looked at the door. 

He needed to talk to her. 

Draco made his way back to the main room and looked over, seeing Olivia leaning on her desk, her head down. He quickly walked to her office, stepping in. Olivia looked up at him, her cheeks already wet with tears. Straightening up, she quickly tried to wipe them away.

“Sorry… I forgot you were waiting on me. Just… give me a minute,” she said, turning to walk around her desk and opening a drawer.

“I heard everything,” Draco blurted out. Olivia froze before her eyes flicked up to him. “I mean… I wasn’t eavesdropping. I just came to see if you were finished and then I saw you with Wood. Turned to leave and such, then… You said my name.” Olivia didn’t say anything. “Why did you say my name?” 

He wanted to hear her say it. That she was falling for him too. But rather than say anything, Olivia stood there, staring at him.

Then suddenly, she turned and grabbed her robe and purse from the stand behind her desk and then her wand.

“I’m sorry… I can’t…”

Draco stood in shocked silence, watching as she dashed out of her office. His eyes followed her until she had disappeared through the other door out into the corridor. Part of him wanted to follow her. Either to finally get the truth out of her or to just hold her and tell her that it’s okay - he wasn’t sure. 

But instead, Draco didn’t move. He stood in her office a bit longer before sighing and stepping over to leave, making sure to flip the light off and shut the door behind him. He then made his way to his own office, gathered up his things and made his way home.

Though he was a bit confused about what would happen next, Draco had a feeling the last person Liv wanted to see right now was him.


	16. Making Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Liv chapter! I really liked writing this one... And yea, felt we needed Liv's side of this interaction...

**Making Decisions**

_With a taste of poison paradise…_

Liv paced around her office after sending her new assistant Alexa home for the evening. They had managed to get through most of the reports and she was more than ready to get to the lab and start working. 

But she needed a moment.

Monday night, she had nearly kiss Draco. 

“Fuck, Liv. Get yourself together,” she muttered under her breath. 

It had been easier being in the office - there were always people around - and then especially after they had broken the ice. Yea, it had been awkward as hell the last few days, but they were adults. And she needed him for her research - that was abundantly clear. She was just going to need to try and get over this attraction for him and focus on work.

“Yes. Work. Work is good,” she muttered as she continued to pace. “It’s just work. Fake it until you make it. Eventually you’ll get to a point when it’ll be okay.” 

When she wasn’t thinking about kissing him non-stop. Or wishing that he would touch her. 

A shiver went through her body as she thought back to having his arms around her. 

“No. Stop. That’s bad,” she scolded softly, grateful that everyone else had left for the night. That way she could pace and mutter to herself in peace. Though if she waited too long, there was every chance Draco would come check on her.

But maybe if he found her muttering to herself, he would think she was crazy and back off. 

Liv shook her head quickly, trying again to not focus on Draco. The feel of his lips against hers. The look in his eyes on Monday when she told him that she trusted him. When all the walls came down and for a moment she felt as though she was standing naked in front of him, but she didn’t care because finally someone looked at her as though they were _really_ seeing her.

The real her. Just Liv. 

Liv stopped pacing and braced herself against her desk, her fingers spread out as she closed her eyes. This was wrong. She couldn’t feel this way about him. It was just supposed to be one night. And she was dating Oliver. Yes, think about Oliver. Oliver was good. 

Draco would get her into so much trouble.

“Oliver,” Liv whispered, her eyes still closed. 

She concentrated on how safe she felt in his arms. His goofy smile. How he held her at night until she fell asleep. How he tried so hard to keep up with her when she went on one of her long rants about the state of theoretical potions. 

His grey eyes.

No. No. Oliver had brown eyes. Focus on brown eyes. Strong arms. Goofy smile.

That goddamn smirk that would make her weak in the knees. Hands that knew exactly where to go. All the right spots to hit. A man who didn’t need instruction or guidance, but still let her lead when she wanted to. A tone body that she somehow fit together with perfectly. Someone who didn’t look down on her for not being pureblood. Who didn’t see De Loughrey when they looked at her. Who pushed her in the right ways. 

Someone who didn’t shy away from challenging her but still respected her.

Liv could feel her body starting to come alive as a warmth spread through her veins. Her breathing started coming in heavier. She needed to stop this, but she couldn’t. She imagined his hands on her hips. His body pressed up against hers. And for a moment, it felt real.

Without opening her eyes, Liv straightened up, feeling his hands move from her hips to her middle. His hot breath on her neck. She tilted it to the side, inviting him. Wet lips against her skin. She needed to stop fantasizing about Draco. She was about to be locked up in her library working with him.

“God… that feels so good…” she breathed, unable to help herself as her mind ran away from her. 

It was then that Liv realized it wasn’t in her head. It was actually happening. Her eyes flew open and she tensed slightly. But his hands kept moving. His lips were pressed against her skin. And God, she did not want him to stop.

“I told you… we shouldn’t do this… God…” she whispered. He then kissed the sensitive spot behind her ear and she gasped, her eyes fluttering closed again. “God, you really do know just what to do to drive me crazy, Draco…”

The hands stopped moving as did his lips. She could feel his body tense against hers. Right. She needed to stop this. Anyone could walk in and find them. And then they would both be in trouble.

“I beg your pardon,” a voice that was not Draco’s said. Liv’s stomach fell as the hands gripped her waist tightly. “Draco?”

She whipped around, her eyes widening as she saw Oliver standing there, a mixture of pain and anger on his face. Oh, fuck. Why had she assumed that Draco would be the one here and not the man she was actually dating? Oliver began backing away from her. 

“Seriously, Liv!” he shouted. “I thought you said there was nothing going on!”

“There is nothing going on! I swear. I’m sorry… I don’t know what that was,” she replied. He kept backing away, now turning to face the door. No, he couldn’t go. She needed to explain. “Can’t we talk about this?”

But even as the words left her lips, she knew there was no amount of explaining she could do to fix this. She had told him there was nothing going on with Draco, and she hadn’t been lying. Not completely, anyway. There wasn’t anything going on with her and Draco physically. No, it was all in her head. But part of her knew that saying that wouldn’t make it any better. 

Oliver stopped and ran his fingers through his hair. He then turned back to her. Liv nearly started sobbing at the look in his eyes. God, she never wanted to hurt him. 

“We’ve already talked about it! Just… figure out what the hell it is you want and let me know, will you?” he shouted. He then turned and stalked out of her office. 

Liv wanted to go after him. To stop him and beg him to listen. She could explain. But she couldn’t. 

So instead she turned and braced herself against her desk again as hot tears fell down her cheeks. She had really fucked this up. And in the process ruined something that could be great with a great guy. 

“Who are you kidding?” she whispered to herself. She knew something _was_ missing. Something she now realized she wouldn’t find with Oliver. She had just been using him to try and distract herself from Draco. Thinking that if she forced herself to try and love Oliver, she might get over whatever it was she was feeling for Draco. 

There were more footsteps. For a moment, Liv thought maybe Oliver had come back. But when she opened her eyes and looked over, she saw Draco standing there, his expression a mixture of concern and surprise. 

“Sorry… I forgot you were waiting on me. Just… give me a minute,” she said, turning to walk around her desk and opening a drawer. She needed to clean her face and then they could go. The only solace she had was that he had hopefully not witnessed any of that.

Though she wasn’t sure just how she was going to get through working with him right now.

“I heard everything,” Draco blurted out. Liv froze before her eyes flicked up to him. Fuck, this just got worse, if that were even possible. “I mean… I wasn’t eavesdropping. I just came to see if you were finished and then I saw you with Wood. Turned to leave and such, then… You said my name.” No, no, no. “Why did you say my name?” 

Liv couldn’t speak. She could tell from the look in his eyes that he wanted desperately to hear her answer. But she couldn’t give him one. Suddenly, she couldn’t breathe. She needed to get out of here. Think. 

She turned and snatched up her things, then turned to face him again, her heart pounding. 

“I’m sorry… I can’t…” she started. But she couldn’t get any more words to come out, so instead she ran out of her office and didn’t stop running until she got to the floos. She was sure she looked like a crazy person to anyone left in the Ministry, but she didn’t care.

She needed to get home. 

Liv stumbled out of the large fireplace in her first floor entryway and immediately threw down her purse and robes, kicking off her heels. Gripping her wand, she walked into the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of liquor from the cabinet there and then ran up the six flights of stairs to the rooftop, too distraught to apparate. Only when she was in the open space did she begin to breathe more easily. 

She walked over and collapsed onto a sofa there, looking up at the sky as she dropped her wand on the sofa next to her.

God, she had really fucked up. There was no way she could explain this to Oliver in a way that he would take her back. She sat up and pulled the cork out of the bottle and then took a long drink, sputtering slightly as the warm alcohol slid down her throat. 

But why was she so keen on fighting for this? They had only been together a few weeks. She wasn’t in love with him. She knew this. But he was so good. So kind. She really thought that it could work. She wanted to make it work. He was the kind of guy her grandparents would love. Her mother, even. The kind of guy she should be with. 

But Draco… he woke up something in her. Something that Oliver could never. 

Liv took another long drink from the bottle. 

“Liv? Liv! Are you here?!”

She looked over towards the stairs that led down into the house, recognizing her cousin’s voice through the door she had left open. They hadn’t been close until Liv got out of school and away from De Loughrey Manor. When she had more freedom to reconnect with her mother’s no-maj family. She had always known that her mother had a no-maj cousin in Britain who had a magical daughter. Had seen photos and even met them a few times as a child when they came to visit the U.S. 

And she was certainly grateful for Katie after she moved here.

“Up here!” she shouted back before taking another drink. Katie ran up and stopped, taking in her state. It was clear from her face that she knew what had happened. “How did you find out?”

“We were at the bar waiting for you and Wood to show up. Said he was going to surprise you. When he showed up without you and immediately ordered a strong drink, I figured something had gone wrong,” she said, walking over and sitting next to Liv. “I told him not to surprise you at the office like that.”

“What? Worried he’d find me fucking Draco on my desk?” Liv asked wryly before taking another drink.

“No. I just know how you don’t like it,” Katie said. 

“If he hadn’t learned it by now,” Liv said dully, though she trailed off. Yet another sign that it wasn’t going to work out that she had ignored.

“So, what did happen?” Katie asked softly. Liv couldn’t look at her. See the sympathy in her eyes. She didn’t deserve it. So she looked out at the rooftops around her and took another drink.

“Well… you know about Monday night,” Liv said. 

“Yea, where you nearly kissed Malfoy,” Katie said, though there was no judgement in her voice. 

“Well… we made up or whatever today. And he was supposed to come over to work tonight,” Liv said. “But I was just… trying to get myself centered. So that _that_ wouldn’t happen again… But… I couldn’t stop thinking about him and… Oliver came up behind me and… I thought it was Draco. I wanted it to be Draco. I said his name instead of Oliver’s...”

“Oh, Liv,” Katie said, putting her arm around her. Liv shoved her away and stood, starting to pace around the rooftop.

“No. I don’t deserve sympathy right now,” she shouted. “I’m a,a… Oh, god. I’m just like them.” She stopped as she looked over at Katie, her stomach churning. She then looked away, unable to take the pity in her cousin’s eyes. “I’m just like _them_. Always using people. I _used_ Oliver. Fuck, I’m a monster.” Katie stood, though didn’t walk any closer to her.

“You’re not a monster, Liv. I think… you just didn’t know what you wanted,” Katie said softly. “But maybe now you do…”

Liv shook her head, then took another drink as she started pacing again. 

“I don’t know what the hell I want. And I shouldn’t have gone out with him until I fucking knew,” she spat. “God, why did I…” She stopped again as she shouted into the night, stomping her feet. 

Once she was done, she took a few deep breaths.

“Feel better getting that out?” Katie asked. Liv looked over at her, seeing the small smile on her face. She laughed haggardly.

“I’m a fucking mess, Katie,” she admitted. “I mean, I always have been. But this is just… next level shit.” She then walked over and sat down, this time allowing Katie to wrap her arms around her and pull her close. 

“Liv, the not-so-secret secret? We’re all fucked up,” Katie said. “And you’re no more fucked up than the rest of us.” Liv couldn’t help as a garbled laugh left her lips. She couldn’t imagine her successful cousin as ever being fucked up. At least this fucked up. “You laugh, but it’s the truth. When it comes to love, we’re all fucked up.” 

“But you and Lucian are so good together,” Liv said, the tears still pouring down her cheeks.

“Yea, and do you know what we had to go through before we got there? A hell of a lot,” Katie said with a laugh. “Merlin, it’s like the idea of a Slytherin and a Gryffindor together is enough to make people spontaneously combust.”

Liv sat back, looking over at her. Slytherin. That’s what Oliver had called Draco.

“What is it with this Slytherin-Gryffindor shit?” she asked, genuinely confused. Sure the others had mentioned it. Even made fun of that Flint douchebag. And then Oliver had warned her about Draco because he was a Slytherin. Katie sighed.

“They’ve never gotten along and it got worse during the war. Slytherin was pretty much all or mostly pureblood and almost all the Death Eaters had been in Slytherin,” Katie explained. “Even I had to get over my own prejudices against them. But… Lucian helped me see that not all of them are bad. And… people can change.” 

She then looked away, her expression more pinched.

“What is it, Katie?” Liv asked, her heat speeding up. She felt like she was about to hear something bad.

“When you told me about Draco… I knew from the start who you were talking about. He was just a year behind me in school and… I didn’t mention it, because you said it was just one night,” she said. 

Liv’s eyes widened. While Katie had acted as though she knew who she was talking about after she had discovered that Draco was in her department, she just assumed it was in passing. This seemed like it was something much more.

“Katie… what aren’t you telling me?” she asked. Katie heaved a big sigh and turned to her, taking her free hand into her own and squeezing it.

“I didn’t tell you this, because I wanted you to figure out what you were feeling for him without me tainting that,” she said. “I know what Oliver said to you and just… I know that you need to make your own decisions.”

“Just fucking say it,” Liv begged.

“Draco cursed me my seventh year,” she said softly. Liv’s eyes widened as she looked away, suddenly remembering. She had heard about it from her grandparents in one of their letters. Katie had been in the hospital in a coma for almost half a year.

Draco had done that. Fuck, had Oliver been right all along?

“Oh god,” she whispered.

“But I’ve forgiven him,” Katie rushed on, gripping her hand tightly. “One night I was at a party with Lucian and Draco was there. We ended up talking and… Liv, he felt wretched about it. Apologized profusely and said he didn’t deserve any forgiveness, but I gave it anyway.” 

Liv looked over at her. 

“That’s why when you said you were getting closer to him, I wanted you to,” Katie continued. “Because unlike the others, I _know_ he’s changed. And I know how much you two are alike.”

“I would never-”

“That’s not what I meant, Liv,” Katie said sternly. “I could tell from that first night, the way you talked about him. Even if you were convinced it was just a random one-night stand, I knew that you were feeling something towards him - that’s why you rushed out before he woke up and all. And I knew that he was trying to make amends. Broke off from the same world that you’ve fought to escape. And I just… part of me thought that you might just be what the other needed.” 

Liv didn’t say anything, letting her cousin’s words float around in her head. 

“And when you told me about his research, Merlin, you should see the look on your face when you talk about his work. It’s the same look you get when you talk about your own,” Katie continued. “I wasn’t sure about Oliver, but I thought perhaps it was something you needed to do. To make you realize who you really wanted to be with.” 

Liv looked away, blinking. She couldn’t form words. 

“You need him, Liv. And I think he needs you too,” she then said. 

“I… what?” Liv said. Though even as she said the words, it was all starting to fall together. But there was still a problem. “Katie… it’s against policy.”

“Enough with this fucking policy, Liv! If you want to be with him, you’ll fucking find a way!” Katie nearly shouted. Liv looked over at her in surprise. It wasn’t often Katie cursed like this. Normally only when she was drunk.

But it was making sense. Her muddled mind was becoming clearer. This whole time she had been fighting her feelings for Draco as they grew. 

She should have been embracing them.

“This is… crazy, Katie,” she said, starting to smile a bit. Katie laughed.

“Ah, but isn’t love crazy, cuz?” Katie quipped. “At least, it certainly makes us do mad things. For starters, I thought you dating Oliver was mad from the start.” 

Liv couldn’t help as she chuckled.

“Yea, I see that now,” she admitted before taking a drink.

“At least he got you interested in quidditch,” Katie said. Liv laughed again. 

“Once I saw the physics of it, yea, I get it,” she said.

“I need to take you flying,” Katie said with a slight roll of her eyes.

“Why didn’t you stop me?” Liv asked, turning to her. “From dating Oliver? If you knew it wasn’t going to work out?” Katie grabbed the bottle from Liv, taking her own drink.

“I honestly did not think it would go past the first date and figured you would dump him eventually. I remember the sorts you’ve dated before and knew there was a short expiration date on that regardless,” Katie said. Liv rolled her eyes, taking the bottle back. “I mean… I get the appeal. He is fit. And not so bad in bed.” 

“KATIE!” Liv shouted with a laugh, but her cousin just shrugged.

“It was just after the war. We were drunk. And it was just the once,” she said. Liv rolled her eyes. “But seriously… what are you going to do about Draco?” Liv sighed.

“What do you think I should do?” she asked. Katie laughed. 

“Honestly? Go to him and snog the shit out of him,” she said. Liv laughed softly.

“Yea… I…” she stopped, sitting up. “I should… God, this so crazy, but… I want to be with him.” Katie nudged her with her shoulder.

“Then go be with him, you git,” she said. Liv started grinning. She then launched into a hug. 

“Thank you,” she whispered in her cousin’s ear. Katie just laughed as she hugged her back.

“Stop wasting time. You sit here any longer and you’re likely to find some reason to talk yourself out of it,” she said. Liv sat back, still grinning deliriously. She shook her head.

“Not this time.”


	17. Falling for You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut Warning!

**Falling for You**

_I’m addicted to you, don’t you know that you’re toxic?_

Draco sighed heavily as he leaned against the island in his kitchen. He had been pacing around it for what felt like hours now, his mind in constant turmoil as the happiness from hearing Olivia say his name gave way to fear. Just because she was feeling something towards him didn’t mean that it would all turn out alright. This wasn’t a bloody fairy tale or one of those damn muggle films where everything faded to black after the two people confessed their love to each other and went off to live their happily ever after.

There was a reason stories ended before getting into all that shit. Happily ever after rarely happened in real life.

In fact, the look on her face when he had asked her why she had said his name told him that ever after very well might be anything but good.

It was clear now that she had thought Wood had been him. Had thought he was the one behind her. That didn’t necessarily mean that she had wanted him, though her voice had been full of desire. But perhaps she was just as intoxicated with him as he was with her. 

However, what did any of this mean? How could they work together - do research together - if _this_ was getting in the way? Was it even possible? They had nearly kissed the other night as it was. He was dreaming about her nearly every night. Fantasizing when he was awake. He couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Draco gripped the edge of the counter tightly, shaking his head. He needed to find a way to get over this. To stop thinking about her. To somehow flush his system of the toxin that was Olivia De Loughrey.

Maybe Blaise was right and it was time for him to leave the Ministry. Finally strike out on his own. But did he truly want to give up all the work he had down over the years because he couldn’t stop thinking with his dick?

A haggard laugh escaped his lips as he pushed off the island and walked over to pour himself a drink. He knew that it was more than that. This wasn’t simply wanting to fuck someone - otherwise he would have done so by now and been done with it. Olivia would have been out of his system long ago. No, this was something deeper. And that terrified him.

None of his relationships ever worked out and there was no guarantee that this would either. It was already so complicated.

He took a long drink and looked around his empty kitchen. His empty house. He heard faint laughter in his head, ghosts from that night coming back to haunt him. The way she had smiled at him. Laughed as he threw her over his shoulder to get upstairs. The way she said his name. The house hadn’t seemed so empty and dead with her here.

Then he saw her in the lab, her eyes lit up as they made another discovery. The look on her face when she told him about her past, laying her soul open before him. How he felt just being near her. That she made him feel alive in a way he had ever experienced before.

With another haggard sigh, Draco knew that it was going to take a lot more than a drink and quitting his job to get Olivia out of his head.

The door chimed, interrupting his thoughts. Scowling, he looked towards the corridor that led to the front door. If Blaise was here for another pep talk, he just might hex him. He leaned back against the counter, deciding he would let him try, but he wouldn’t answer. Eventually Blaise would give up and go away.

The door chimed again. And again. Blaise was determined tonight.

Finally, with a growl, Draco charged down the corridor, intent on letting his best friend have it. 

“I’m not in the mood, Blaise,” he snapped as he pulled the door open. His eyes then widened as he froze.

It wasn’t Blaise standing on his doorstep, but rather Olivia. It was just like his fucking dream the other night. She was still in her work clothes, but her face was blotchy as though she had been crying for hours and her hair was a mess. But still, he couldn’t help but find her beautiful.

“Liv,” he said softly.

“Let me talk,” she said. He just nodded. He couldn’t speak right now if he wanted to. “I know that this is crazy and… we shouldn’t, but… God, I can’t stop thinking about you, Draco. And dreaming about you. And, fuck, I’ve never felt anything this intense before. And there are so many reasons why we shouldn’t do this - be together - but the one thing I know for certain is that I want you.” She stopped and took a deep breath, looking down at the ground, as though she was gathering her thoughts.

She then looked up and Draco felt his heart skip a beat, though it had been pounding since the moment he opened the door and saw her standing there. Her eyes were a vivid blue, but it wasn’t the color that had him entranced, a stirring starting up in his stomach.

It was the raw intensity in their depths.

“I want to be with _you_.”

He couldn’t move - couldn’t breathe - for a moment. Then he dropped his glass, hearing it shatter against the floor as he reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her towards him slightly roughly.

“I want to be with you too,” he said before his lips crashed against hers. 

Liv melted against his body as her arms snake around his waist and he brought his other hand up to cup her cheek. He was vaguely aware that they were moving back, stumbling slightly. He heard the door shut. For a moment, he wondered just how they were going to make it up to his bedroom like this, though he wasn’t sure if he could wait that long.

Just that one kiss had already made him harden.

It seemed Liv couldn’t either as he felt her hands on his chest, ripping at the buttons on his shirt while they continued moving, tugging it out of his trousers. His own hands were running up and down her body, grabbing, squeezing, soft moans coming from her as she managed to kick off her shoes. 

They continued moving until they were finally in the den that overlooked his back garden. He pushed her back, the two of them panting for breath as they stared at each other. Liv then pushed him down on the sofa, crawling on top of him until she was straddling him, ripping the last few buttons off his shirt before running her fingers up and down his chest. 

A growl sounded as he rolled his hips, making purchase with her heated core and he was grateful that she had worn a skirt that day. Olivia’s head fell back as her eyes closed a moment and she grinded her hips against his in return, her skirt now riding up around her waist. 

“Fuck, Draco,” she hissed. “You have no idea how long I’ve been dreaming about this.”

“You and me both,” he replied, his voice deep with lust. She looked down at him, a coy smile playing across her lips. Draco reached up and ripped her blouse open, buttons flying everywhere.

“I liked that shirt,” she said.

“I can repair it or buy you another. You owe me one as well,” he replied, smirking up at her. He felt a shiver run through her body as she bit her lower lip. He gripped her waist a moment before sliding his hands up her torso until they were at her neck, lifting up from the sofa as he pulled her to him, kissing her slowly and passionately. One hand drifted down to her lacy bra, pulling her soft, supple breast out as he caressed her skin and then squeezed. 

Liv moaned against his lips as her hips began moving, making him harder with each thrust as she tangled her fingers in his hair. He reached up into her hair, pulling her head back slightly roughly, forcing her to look into his eyes.

“The things you do to me, Liv,” he breathed. She grinned at him as she dragged her nails down his chest, causing the desire in him to swell to a near unbearable degree. His cock was now straining against his trousers and needed to feel her. Bury himself in her. 

“Oh, I’m only getting started,” she purred before pushing him back down on the sofa. 

A grin slid across his face as she bent over, kissing his chest. Draco weaved his fingers through her hair as she moved lower, her fingers now making quick work of his belt buckle and zipper. He looked down and met her eyes as she reached into his pants and pulled out his dick, stroking it. 

Draco’s eyes nearly rolled back in his head as her fingers slowly moved up and down, squeezing with just the right amount of pressure.

“Fuck,” he groaned. 

His eyes shot open as he felt her warm, wet lips on his head, gently sucking. He looked down, meeting her eyes as she took him into her mouth, her tongue swirling around his member. 

“Merlin… Liv…” he panted as she started a slow, but steady rhythm, sucking as she pulled up, stroking what she couldn’t fit in her mouth. He pushed up with his hips, urging her to go faster. His eyes closed again as he moaned loudly. Of all the times he relived their first night together in his mind, it was nothing like right now.

He was starting to lose his mind, the only thing he could focus on was the delirious feeling of Liv sucking his cock.

Liv picked up her pace, taking more of him with each stroke. He was now thrusting up a bit more forcefully, his breathing uneven. But as much as he was enjoying this, he wanted to feel her walls around him. He knew she had to be just as hot as he was right now.

With a bit of reluctance, he pushed her off of him and sat up. He took her lips in a bruising kiss until he was on top of her, his hands groping at her breasts before he reached under her skirt and ripped her panties off. Without warning, he pushed inside her, both of them gasping in relief as he waited a moment, leaning his forehead against hers.

Once he had caught his breath, he pulled back and then thrusted back in. Liv arched her back, her hands grasping at his neck as she arched her back, her eyes closed as she smiled in ecstasy. 

“Fuck, I’ve missed this,” she said, finally opening her eyes and meeting his, a wicked smile on her face. She rolled her hips up, matching him thrust for thrust. “No one makes me cum like you do.” 

Draco could only smile before he kissed her, grunting as he continued to pound into her. Liv’s moans quickly graduated to yells as he felt her begin to clench around him, pushing him closer to his own release. As he felt her getting closer, he pulled back, wanting to watch as she came undone around him.

“Cum for me,” he whispered. 

A smile filled her face as she wrapped her legs tighter around him and met his eyes. Draco’s pace became faster, more erratic as he chased his high, his hand sliding down until it found the bundle of nerves at her apex. Liv convulsed slightly as he began stroking it while he thrusted. His own body began shaking as he grew closer and closer. 

“Oh, fuck… Draco… Draco…”

Liv’s mouth fell open in a noiseless scream as she arched up off the sofa, her walls closing tightly around him. With a moan, he felt himself pour into her as he continued thrusting, pleasure coursing through his body more intense than anything he had ever felt before.

Even more than that first night together. 

Finally he stopped, collapsing on top of her as the only sound that filled the house was that of their haggard breathing. He could feel her heart beating against his chest. Draco propped himself up slightly, a lazy smile on his face as he gently kissed her. 

Liv ran her fingers through his hair and then across his cheeks. Neither said anything a few moments, the both of them delirious in the aftermath of their orgasms. Liv then looked around the room.

“Nice den,” she said, meeting his eyes again. Draco chuckled softly. 

“I had intended on giving you the tour before you left so suddenly last time,” he replied. A faint blush painted Liv’s cheeks. 

“Yea, sorry about that…” she whispered. Draco kissed her again. 

“And I was going to make you breakfast,” he said. Liv raised an eyebrow at him.

“I seriously missed out, didn’t I?” she said. Draco chuckled again as he got off her.

They looked a mess, their clothes wrinkled and half torn off. Though he was a bit knackered, just looking at Liv made his desire start burning up in him again. He stood, pulling her up with him as he started leading her towards the stairs. 

“Again?” she asked slightly incredulously.

“Don’t you remember? Doesn’t take me that long to recover,” he quipped in return. Liv laughed as she squeezed his hand. 

“Beginning to think we might need to take the day off tomorrow,” she said. Draco stopped and looked down at her.

“We can do that?” he asked.

“Perks to dating the boss,” she said lightly. Draco began to grin, liking the sound of that. _Dating_.

“Well then… we should make the most of tonight…”

~~~

Draco sighed as he fell back on his bed. Liv curled up to his side, her head resting on his shoulder, her arm stretching across his chest. He pushed her hair back from her face, leaning over to kiss her forehead.

“So… we should probably talk,” Liv started, not meeting his eyes. Draco looked up at the ceiling, his thoughts now turning to the obstacles standing in their way. 

He didn’t want to think about it right now. He’d rather spend the night making love to her and not think about the fact they could get into serious trouble if anyone at the office found out about them.

“I could transfer,” he said. “Maybe if we weren’t working in the same office…”

“I’d still be in charge of overseeing your projects as long as you’re in potions research,” Liv said with a sigh. He looked down at her, seeing her brow furrowed. “I could… I could resign. I don’t need the money - really only took the job to get out of the U.S. and work with you. And we could still work together even if I’m not at the Ministry.” 

It was an option, but at the same time, Draco knew that Liv loved her job. And she was doing a lot of good there. It didn’t seem fair that she should quit just so they could date.

“Or I could,” he said. 

Liv looked up at him.

“But you love working in the department,” she said. “If I resigned, then you could take over. And we could still work on our research together.”

Draco studied her a few moments before kissing her forehead.

“We don’t have to worry about it right now,” he said softly.

“But we are going to need to figure something out. Sooner rather than later,” she replied. “And we definitely can’t let anyone know.” 

“That’s obvious,” Draco said dryly. Liv sat up and looked down at him, the sheet falling from her body. For a moment, he was distracted by her gorgeous tits and nearly forgot what they were talking about.

“I’m serious, Draco. Until we figure out how to handle this, we can’t tell anyone. Not even Blaise and Theo. You _know_ Blaise will make life hell for us and that will just make everyone suspicious,” she said sternly. As much as he wanted to argue with her, he knew it was true.

Blaise already enjoyed taking the mickey out of them as it was. It would only get worse if he knew they were finally together.

“I promise. This is just between you and I until we figure it out,” he said. Liv smiled and bent down, kissing him. “But don’t you think it might be a bit obvious if we both take the day off tomorrow?”

Liv thought about this a moment, then looked down at him.

“No, because we’ve been really good so far. I’ll send an owl to Alexa, telling her that I’m working from home - cold or something. Then you send word to Blaise that you’re recovering from some sort of potions accident - your choice. No one outside of Blaise even knows or suspects anything,” she said. “It’ll be fine.” She leaned down and kissed him again. “And then we can spend the day at mine, working on research.” 

Draco couldn’t help but smile against her lips. While he was sure that it was the straightest way to get caught, he found that he didn’t care. He wanted nothing more than to spend the day with Liv, whether it was working on their research or spending the day in her bed. 

“I suppose I’m convinced,” he said, conceding defeat. Liv grinned down at him.

“Good. Because you’re making breakfast in the morning,” she said, settling at his side again. Draco laughed as he pulled her closer. 

“Just so long as you do that thing again,” he said, his voice low and lusty. Liv smirked at him.

“Oh, you continue to make me breakfast and I’ll do that every night,” she replied, her eyes flashing. Draco felt himself already stirring again.

Merlin, what she did to him.

He reached up and caressed her cheek gently. 

“I love you,” he said without thinking. He then froze. He hadn’t meant to say that, but it just slipped out. And he couldn’t take it back. For a moment he worried, seeing her mouth drop open and eyes widen. Fuck, he had just ruined everything. 

Her lips then curled up into a smile as she pressed a firm kiss against his lips.

“I love you too,” she whispered. 

Despite everything that it had taken to get them to this moment, everything that they were going to have to go through, Draco knew in that moment, it was all worth it.


	18. And It All Goes to Hell

**And it All Goes to Hell**

_And I love what you do, don’t you know that you’re toxic?_

Draco couldn’t help as his smile grew the closer he got to the office. He then stopped, rearranging his face into his usual scowl. It wouldn’t do to walk in looking like the cat that fucking ate the canary after taking the day off. It would be the fastest way to get himself and Liv into trouble. He wasn’t even sure if their excuses worked.

But then he thought back to yesterday. 

Liv had gotten up early and sent off her owl to her assistant, telling her to send everything to her house at lunch as she was sick. He did the same - sending word to Blaise to let him know that he was recovering from a nasty explosion. He was sure that Blaise wouldn’t believe him, but at least he wasn’t aware that he and Liv were together.

At least he hoped so. It was reckless, he knew this. But he wouldn’t take any of it back.

He then made them breakfast - as promised. After a quick session on the island - they really couldn’t keep their hands off each other - they managed to shower (again, took longer than intended) and get over to Liv’s place before a frazzled Alexa showed up with a pile of paperwork. Liv managed to look miserable enough to sell her story that she was sick and the assistant quickly left. 

They spent the afternoon working in her library, stopping every so often to snog, make love or just talk about their lives whenever they got stuck. It was surprisingly productive, all things considered. While he wanted nothing more than to spend another night with her, Liv had sent him off, saying they definitely could not show up at the office at the same time together and they both needed sleep. It took a bit of coaxing on both their parts, but he had finally made it back to his house, falling asleep with a grin on his face.

And now he struggled to keep himself in check, knowing that in mere moments he would see her again. He felt his cock twitch slightly as his thoughts veered towards a particularly hot fantasy he had of taking Liv on his desk. Maybe that could finally become reality if they worked late and charmed the hell out of his office door.

But as soon as Draco stepped into the office, something felt distinctly off. He stopped and looked around, noticing that everyone was huddled together whispering as they looked towards Liv’s office at the back, all wearing worried expressions. Draco followed their gazes, seeing a pale Liv sitting at her desk, staring forward, as White stood before her desk, the look on his face strained as his lips moved. 

Draco’s heart stopped as his stomach dropped. Fuck. Someone had found out. 

Glancing around, he thanked Merlin that no one seemed to have noticed him walk in. He then made his way over to Blaise, who was standing just outside his office, his brow furrowed in worry as he watched the scene play out through the windows.

“What’s going on?” Draco hissed as he neared him. Blaise glanced at him and then looked back at Liv’s office.

“Dunno. They were already in there when I got here,” he said, his voice lacking its usual mirth. “Good to see you’re healed up from the explosion.”

“Yea… spent the day at St. Mungo’s,” Draco lied. “Wasn’t fun.”

He couldn’t help as his stomach twisted into knots. White was now clearly yelling at Liv as she shut her eyes, the strain clear on her face. Her eyes then flew open, blazing as she jumped to her feet and started yelling back, her hands cutting through the air as she gestured wildly.

“Whatever it is, she’s giving as good as she gets,” Blaise said in awe.

They continued to watch in silent horror before White turned towards the door. Draco quickly shoved Blaise into his office as everyone else scattered.

“I don’t care. Pack your things and I want you out in half an hour!” White shouted after the door opened. Draco glanced out of Blaise’s office, watching as he stormed out. 

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath as he stepped out and looked towards Liv’s office. She pressed her hand to her forehead, her eyes closed as tears streamed down her cheeks. 

Not caring who saw, Draco ran across the room and into her office.

“Liv,” he said softly. 

She opened her eyes and looked at him, shaking her head.

“Not now, Draco,” she said dully.

“But… what happened?” he asked. Rather than answer him, she picked up her wand and waved it, conjuring up several boxes. She then waved it again, and various items flew around the room and into them.

“I said not now,” she said, this time a bit harshly. She looked over at him, her eyes still blazing. “Get out. We’ll talk later.” 

He wanted to stay. To shout that he wasn’t leaving until she told him what was wrong. To pull her into his arms and tell her that whatever it was, she would be okay. That he would help her get through this. That they could fix it together.

But then he remembered that no one could know about them. He had likely already stirred up rumours by running in here as he did.

“Fine,” he said, turning and walking out. He glanced at Blaise, nodding towards his office. Without a word, the two of them walked in.

“What is going on?” Blaise asked.

“I don’t know. She wouldn’t say,” Draco said, starting to pace. 

Was this about him? But if it was, then why hadn’t White reprimanded him as well? He knew that the director of HR had seen him. And surely it wasn’t enough to warrant an immediate sacking.

“Is this because…” Draco looked up as Blaise’s voice trailed off. Draco scowled. “I swear, I didn’t say a word. Though, I mean, it was obvious to me - you two both taking the day off. But no one else seemed to notice.”

“I don’t know,” Draco admitted, starting to pace again. 

He shouldn't have taken the day off. Fuck, did everyone know?

“D’you hear?” a voice said. Both looked over, seeing a dumpy wizard in Draco’s doorway, a grin on his fat face. He looked back towards Liv’s office and then shuffled into the office. It was the git, Fox. A card-carrying member of the rather small “We Hate the Boss” club. “The witch’s been sacked!” he said, sounding almost gleeful.

Draco clenched his fists, fighting off the desire to sock him. Blaise shot him a worried look. 

“What do you mean?” Draco asked, his voice strained. 

“Knew she was no good,” Fox continued. “Just knew it. Bet she slept her way to the top.”

“Out with it, Fox,” Draco growled. Fox jumped slightly, his beady eyes widening. 

“Word is, she got her hands on some illegal substance. For _research_ , but who really knows. Knew it was strange that she took yesterday off so suddenly,” he said. Draco’s stomach sank again. Night Heather. She had been trying to get it for him.

This was his fault.

“And there're rumours that she was… getting around with someone in the department,” Fox continued, practically giggling. “Figures she’d be a slag.”

“What?” Draco asked, now seething. Fox really did need to get out of his office before he did something he’d regret. Fox chuckled. 

“Well, they’ve got proof, from what I hear. Don’t understand it. She’s fit. Was with that famous quidditch player. Surely, she was getting enough with him,” Fox said, not noticing Draco’s demeanor. 

“Get. The fuck. Out,” Draco said, barely controlling the rage now coursing through him. Fox’s eyes widened slightly.

“I thought you hated her just as much. More so,” Fox said, starting to back away from him.

“You have no idea how fucking brilliant that witch is. Far more brilliant than you can ever dream of,” Draco said, his eyes narrowing. “You’re just a fat fuck who is never going to make anything of himself while she’s going to change the world. Already has. Now get the fuck out of my office.”

Fox gave him a weird look before turning and scurrying out. Draco sighed and ran his fingers through his hair as he began to pace.

“Way to keep that under wraps,” Blaise said. “Now everyone’ll know you’re in love with her.”

“This is my fault,” Draco said, looking over at Blaise.

“What do you mean? Do you mean-”

“No, not about that. Well, there’s… no, I mean.... I needed Night Heather for my research and she was trying to get it,” Draco said. “She must have gone to the black market and now she’s been sacked.” 

Blaise’s eyes widened as he looked towards the door to Draco’s office. Draco looked out just in time to see Liv stride by, her head held high, though her cheeks were still wet. He groaned in frustration as he walked over and kicked his desk. 

Bellowing in pain, he slammed his hands down on the desktop.

“Whoa… calm down,” Blaise said. “I’m sure beating the shit out of your desk isn’t going to fix anything.”

“This is fucking my fault,” Draco said, ignoring the pain radiating up his leg and the stinging in his palms. “She got sacked because of me.” He then turned around to face Blaise. “I have to… I need to fix this… somehow.” 

“Yea, but how?” Blaise asked. Draco looked towards his door. 

“I need to talk to her,” he said, already starting towards it.

“Draco, wait-”

“No, don’t stop me, Blaise,” he spat, continuing on. 

He had to speak to her now.

~~~

Draco didn’t even bother knocking, he walked straight into Liv’s townhouse and stopped in the entryway. 

“Liv!” he shouted.

“In here.”

He quickly made his way up the stairs and then walked into the library, finding her seated behind her desk, a glass and bottle of firewhiskey in front of her. She looked over at him, her eyes rimmed in red. 

“Merlin, Liv…” he murmured, walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her.

“Well, on the bright side, we don’t have to worry about policy anymore,” she said, pushing him away and then reaching for her glass. “Though a lot of good it’ll do if they put me in Azkaban.” She took a long drink. Draco couldn’t help as pain coursed through his heart.

Just yesterday everything had seemed so perfect. And now it was all falling apart before him. She looked so incredibly broken.

“Fuck… this is… I’m so sorry,” he said, staring down at her. She looked up at him, confusion in her eyes. 

“Why are you sorry? It’s not your fault,” she said. She then laughed haggardly. “All that work… it’s not going to mean shit once this gets out.” She brought the glass to her lips again. “Dad’s going to be heartbroken. But Lucinda… oh, she’s going to _love_ this. She always did like to call me a degenerate.”

Draco felt his heart seize in pain.

“But… it is my fault. Fuck, this all because of me,” he said. Liv frowned as she looked back up at him, slowly standing.

“What are you talking about?” she asked softly. She started backing away from him.

“I… fuck…” 

Draco wasn’t making any sense, but it was so hard to get the words out right now. But he needed to apologize. And then try to find a way to fix all of this. Maybe if he went back to White and confessed? He looked back at Liv, her expression now stricken as her face turned white.

“You mean… it was you?” she asked. Draco shook his head, not understanding what she was asking about. “You… you… fuck…” 

She started laughing as she walked away from him, the look of shock melting into one of cold rage. 

“All this time… I thought that… I really thought that you loved me,” she said, starting to ramble. 

“But I do,” Draco said.

“And then you… you were just… waiting for the right moment to sink the fucking blade in my back,” she said, now pacing. “Was Blaise in on it too?”

“I didn’t - what are you talking about?” he asked, his heart seizing. What was going on? Did she find out about before? Liv stopped pacing as she whirled around to look at him, her eyes blazing in anger.

“You,” she said, pointing at him. “They were right. Oliver was fucking right.” She turned away, running her fingers through her hair. “All this fucking time…”

“What the hell are you talking about?!” Draco shouted. She wasn’t making sense. Liv looked over at him.

“You just confessed! You were pretending to love me but all you were doing was putting together a plan to get me kicked out so you could take my job! Well I hope you’re happy now, because it’s finally fucking yours!” she shouted. 

“Would you shut it and listen to me!” Draco yelled. Liv finally went silent. “I don’t know what you’re fucking talking about! I didn’t tell HR anything! Was there a time when I wanted to kick you out of your position? Yes! Blaise was in on it too! But then… then I got to know you. And I couldn’t… I couldn’t go through with it. I did fall in love with you, Liv!”

“Oh, and I’m supposed to believe that?!” Liv shouted back at him. “Why did you run in here saying it was your fault?!”

“Because it’s my fault you were trying to get Night Heather in the first place!” Draco shouted back. “If you had just… let me help you! I could have gotten it without getting caught!” Liv laughed harshly as she started pacing again, then took a drink.

“I don’t believe a goddamn word you’re saying,” she said. “I don’t even understand why you’re here.” 

“I swear to Merlin, I didn’t say or do anything!” Draco said. “You were with me all day yesterday! When could I have gone to HR?”

“I don’t know! You’re a fucking Slytherin!” she shouted. Draco winced, the old resentment starting to rear its ugly head inside him.

For a moment, he let it take over. The despair. For a moment, he was back to thinking that no one would ever believe that he had changed and it wasn’t worth it to keep trying. But then he realized that he was standing in front of the woman he was desperately in love with. And he couldn’t give up yet.

“I swear! I didn’t tell anyone anything! I didn’t do _anything_!” he shouted back, fighting against it though he was more confused than anything and not sure what she was talking about. Liv just stared at him.

“So, I’m supposed to believe that you didn’t plant Night Heather in my office?!” she asked incredulously. “My dad was already working on getting some for me! Legally!”

“Yes! Because I didn’t!” Draco said, his stomach turning in disgust. “Fuck! Who would do something like that?” Wait… someone had planted the Night Heather in her office? When? That’s what this was about?

“Oh, I don’t know. Someone who hates me and thinks I stole your job!” she shouted back. “Someone with enough pull that HR wouldn’t even hear me out before tossing me out!”

Draco stormed up to her, grabbing her arms and shaking her. 

“I fucking swear I didn’t do it! WHY WON’T YOU BELIEVE ME?!” he yelled. For a moment, fear flickered in her eyes and Draco immediately let go of her, backing away, once again feeling disgusted with himself. She brought her hand up to her arm, massaging it lightly where he had gripped her. 

“It wasn’t me,” he said, this time softly. He looked over at her, pleading with his eyes for her to believe him. “I swear… I would never do something like that. I would never betray you.”

Liv looked away, closing her eyes as more tears poured out.

“Just… get out,” she finally said, the defeat clear in her voice.

“Liv, I-”

“Get out, Draco. I just… I need to be alone right now,” she whispered. “And apparently call a lawyer.” She finally looked over at him, her expression completely broken. In that moment, Draco felt as though he was breaking apart too.

“Okay,” he replied softly. 

He didn’t want to leave her. He wanted to stay and try to convince her that he hadn’t done this. But he knew right now that there was no point. She was convinced that he had turned on her and there was nothing he could say right now to change her mind. So he kept walking until he was out of her townhouse, not really caring where he was going.

There had to be some way to fix this. 

He knew the only way she would believe him would be if he found out who had gotten her sacked and then got her job back. But he wasn’t sure where to start. He then stopped, an idea coming into his head.

It was mad and it could cost him his job. But he would gladly give it up if it meant being with Liv. 

With renewed energy, Draco started walking again, heading towards the Ministry. 

He was going to find out who did this and make them pay. Make them regret ever crossing Draco Malfoy. 

But first, he was going to get the woman he loved her job back and repair her reputation. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this bit was tricky to write on so many levels. I had a few different scenarios, but ended up with this one...


	19. To Find a Rat

**To Find a Rat**

_It’s getting late to give you up…_

Draco walked assuredly into his office and leaned against his desk. He didn’t have to wait long before Blaise and Theo rushed in, both of them wearing concerned looks on their faces. He waved his wand, making sure that the door was shut, locked and that no one would overhear what they were about to discuss.

“So, what’s happening? Is it true?” Blaise asked. Theo looked at him and then back at Draco, handing a file over to Draco.

Before getting back in, Draco had asked Theo to obtain the formal complaint against Liv. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to get it done but figured Theo would have more pull than Blaise. And thankfully he had come through.

“Someone set her up,” Draco said calmly after he looked through the documents. Unfortunately, the names had been redacted, but it wouldn't be that difficult to find out who was involved with the way people around here talked. Whoever had done it was thorough and patient, waiting for the right moment to act. He would have to be as well, though time was not on his side. But he had enough to at least put something into motion. Already he could see blaring mistakes that would help him make a case.

Now that he had a plan, it was infinitely easier to stay focused. 

“Someone planted Night Heather in her office,” Draco said, looking back down at the documents as he walked around his desk and sat down.

Even though he was calm and collected, he couldn’t help the anger that coursed through him. Though he quickly tempered it with thoughts of how he might make said person suffer once he found out who it was. 

“I need you two to help me find out who did this,” he said, looking from Blaise to Theo.

“Of course, anything to help, but isn’t the Ministry already looking into this?” Theo asked. “Surely, they wouldn’t sack her without, at the least, investigating the claims. I glanced through the file and it should be easy enough to disprove them.”

“For some reason, they are keen to believe the allegations, or rather the person who made them. Liv said White wouldn’t even listen to her when she tried to explain,” he replied. “So we’re going to find out who is behind this and then expose them.” 

“Okay,” Theo said, a look of determination coming over his face. “I admit, like helping her more than trying to take her down.” A small smile crept over Draco’s face, though it fell when he thought back to their argument. 

Even if he did this, he wasn’t sure that it would work. That Liv would believe him and take him back.

“She’s not doing so well, is she?” Blaise said. Draco looked up at him, surprised to see the normally smarmy man genuinely upset. 

“We had an argument. When I thought perhaps she had gotten the Night Heather illegally for my research, I tried to apologize, saying it was my fault. She took that as an admission of guilt for everything,” he said. “That’s when I found out that she hadn’t actually gotten it and rather they found it planted in her office.” He frowned. “I’m not sure if she believes me, but that’s why I’m going to do everything I can to clear her name. She thinks she’s about to be hauled into Azkaban as it is.” 

A grin suddenly appeared on Blaise’s face as he looked at Theo and then back at Draco.

“Is there anything else you’d care to share with us?” he asked. Draco looked at him and then sighed.

“We’re together. Or… we were. I’m not sure where we stand at the moment, but hopefully… this will work and… things will get better,” Draco said.

“Happy to see you finally admitted your feelings to yourself. And her,” Theo said. Draco smiled faintly.

“I told her I loved her… the other night,” he said softly. “She said she loved me too.”

“Fucking hell, mate,” Blaise said, his eyes wide. “This certainly is more serious than I thought it was.” 

Draco nodded and looked back down at the file.

“Right, well. Best get to it. I need to go over these documents and then meet with White,” he said, settling in.

“What are you going to do, Draco?” Blaise asked.

“What needs to be done,” Draco said, still not looking at his friends. When neither responded, he looked up at them, finding Blaise looked stunned while Theo had a small smile on his face. “Are you two just going to stand there all day and stare at me?”

“Course not,” Theo said, already starting towards the door, dragging Blaise with him. “Good luck.”

“Thanks… I’m going to need it.”

~~~

There was no fear or worry in Draco as he made his way to White’s office. Not for himself, anyway. Now that his mind was made up and he knew what needed to be done, he didn’t care what happened to him. But he worried that it wouldn’t be enough to get White to at least open an investigation and consider at least allowing Liv back until they got to the bottom of things.

But he knew that even if they didn’t open an inquiry, he wouldn’t stop until the truth of the matter came out. And he was more than certain that Liv would get a good solicitor. Hell, even a bad one would make easy work of getting the charges thrown out. Whoever had done this had rushed it at the last minute, making a mess of things. Whoever it was had latched on to her random day off. And hadn’t counted on Draco Malfoy looking into it.

He cleared his throat as he stopped in front of White’s office, squared his shoulders and then walked in, a serious look on his face as he glanced at the assistant.

“I need to see White. Now,” he said sternly. The man hopped up from his chair, eyes wide as he rushed over to White’s inner office. 

Draco couldn’t help as a small bit of pride at the reaction ran through him. While he had enjoyed intimidating people before for all the wrong reasons, he found there was far more pleasure in using his skills to help someone. Specifically someone he loved.

“Please, come in, Draco,” White boomed as he stepped to the doorway. The assistant skittered back to his desk. “I was just about to call you in!”

“Thank you, sir,” Draco said, following him into his large office. White took a seat behind his desk and motioned for Draco to do the same, though he found he had too much energy coursing through him to do so.

Besides, he felt he might drive his point in better if he remained standing.

“Suppose you heard the nasty business with Ms. De Loughrey,” White said.

“I did,” Draco replied shortly.

“Just can’t understand it. She had such glowing reviews,” White replied, seeming slightly dumbfounded. “Though I suppose ambition can blind us all.” He looked to Draco, now smiling. “No matter, now that she’s gone, we’ll need someone to run the department. You were our second choice, so it’s only natural that it should go to you. Watkins was a staunch advocate for you.”

“Thank you, sir, but there is something more pressing that I am here to discuss,” Draco said, finding it easy to ignore the offer. Confusion came over White’s face, but he motioned for Draco to continue. “I have come to inform you that all the allegations against Ms. De Loughrey are false and to ask that you reinstate her and launch a formal inquiry into the matter.”

White seemed thunderstruck, as though the last thing he expected was Draco Malfoy to defend Liv.

“Forgive me, but… I was under the impression that you were not happy with her,” White said.

“I was for a time, but that is no longer the case. I think we can both agree that she has an exemplary record and quite frankly, I am shocked that you would dismiss her so easily without a proper investigation,” Draco said, frowning. 

“We have rather strong evidence,” White said. “And to be honest, I cannot just launch an inquiry without it. So unless you’ve got something to disprove any of it, then I must ask you to return to your department.”

Draco stepped forward and threw the file on White’s desk. While he had to move quickly, it hadn’t taken him all that long to pull together documents disputing the claim.

Not to mention, one thing that he and Liv had in common was that they kept meticulous notes and followed procedure. All it had taken was a short trip to the regulations department to get the necessary correspondence with her father and import records.

“As you can see, Ms. De Loughrey had just received word that she would be able to obtain a small amount of Night Heather - safely and legally - through her father. He was already filing the paperwork with the Ministry of Magic. So, there was no need for her to obtain it illegally,” Draco said. 

White looked down at the parchment and then back up at Draco.

“Also, in regards to her sudden departure from the office yesterday and the other so-called date she was allegedly obtaining the substance in question, I know for a fact that she was not out doing anything nefarious,” he continued. 

“And how is it you know all this?” White asked, not bothering to look down at the file again as a curious look came into his eyes.

“Because I was with her,” Draco said calmly. White frowned. “I know that she wasn’t meeting with the dealer because we were together at her residence.” He then took a deep breath, never breaking eye contact with White. “I admit at first it was purely for research purposes, but yesterday… it was personal. I am the person within the department that she is involved with.”

White’s eyebrows rose in surprise as he sat back in his chair. 

“We met prior to her starting with the department, though once we both realized we would be working together, we refrained from everything save a professional relationship. However, as of the other night, the status of our relationship changed,” he continued. “As such, I have submitted my resignation in the file as well.”

White’s eyes widened as he looked back down, shifting through the papers until he came to the last one. He then looked back up at Draco.

“As it is against company policy and I wish to maintain my personal relationship with Ms. De Loughrey as well as our research, I will be leaving the Potions Research Department effective immediately,” Draco said calmly. “All I ask is that you consider the information I have provided you and reinstate Ms. De Loughrey. She is what this department needs to take it forward into the future.”

Draco took another deep breath and waited, watching as White looked through the documents again, though he glanced at Draco several times. Finally, the man sighed and nodded.

“You have been rather thorough,” he said. “Is there nothing I can do to convince you to stay?” 

“No, sir, there is none,” Draco said firmly.

“Very well… I shall… I will look into this. I thank you for bringing it to my attention,” White said, appearing a bit overwhelmed. 

“I will be sending more information as I get it though I highly recommend an investigation into whoever set her up as they were the ones who actually obtained the Night Heather illegally,” Draco said smoothly before turning and walking out of White’s office.

He wasn’t completely sure how he would feel once he had gone through with it, but he found that he was neither sad nor upset. Nor did he feel as though he had lost anything. He had spent years working to build up the research department. Years thinking that the only thing he wanted in life was to someday run it.

But in the last few weeks, Draco realized that the department didn’t need him. And he didn’t need it. A lightness filled his chest as a bubble of excitement built inside him. He still worried about how things would go with Liv, but at least one thing was certain.

Draco was eager to strike out on his own. Finally.

~~~

Draco found himself humming as he methodically and carefully packed up his things in his office. Merlin, he was certainly grateful for magic in times like this, otherwise he’d spend the entire day at it. But he was eager to get it done so he could take his things home and then rush over to Liv’s.

He had put together and then ripped apart several speeches in his mind already, none of them seeming quite right. But hopefully before he actually got there he would put something together.

“So, it’s true.”

Draco turned, seeing a forlorn Bones standing in his doorway, looking around in shock. 

“Why?” she asked, finally meeting his eyes. While he figured news of his resignation would come as a shock to most, he hadn’t expected anyone would be particularly upset by it. Even Blaise had been happy for him, glad to see him take his advice and strike out on his own.

“I beg your pardon?” he asked, confused.

“Why are you leaving?” Bones asked sternly, now frowning at him.

“Because some things are more important than a title,” Draco said dryly, turning back to his work.

“No, but… you wanted that position,” Bones said firmly.

“ _Wanted_ being the operative word there, Bones. I no longer want it,” Draco said, not looking at her. 

“It was _meant_ to be yours,” she pushed. “You were meant to lead this department.”

“It was never mine, as much as I had wanted to think that in the past,” Draco replied. “And they chose the better person suited for the job.”

“BUT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE YOU!”

Draco jumped, turning to look at Bones in shock. He had never heard her raise her voice in the years they had worked together. She always seemed so quiet and meek, barely speaking to him. Always in the background. Which is why he found it rather odd that she was on the verge of a breakdown in his office over him leaving the Ministry.

“What is going on?” he asked. 

Bones looked at the ground, wringing her hands together. It looked as though she was murmuring to herself. She then looked up at him, her jaw clenched slightly.

“I did this for you. So you could finally take the position that should have been yours all along,” she said, her voice and demeanor suddenly calm and much colder than he ever thought possible.

Draco’s mouth dropped open in shock. There was no way Bones - a meek little Hufflepuff - could come up with and then carry out a plot like this. 

“I had to get rid of her,” Bones said. “She was ruining everything. All your hard work - all of everyone’s hard work!”

“But… how?” Draco asked.

“It wasn’t that hard. Put enough doubt into the right person’s mind and then when you present them with evidence regardless of whether it's real, and they’ll believe anything. Helps when one has a sturdy reputation, even if it's a bit droll,” Bones said. “White was really rather quick to believe reliable Susan Bones.”

“But none of it is true,” Draco shouted, now scowling at her. “You tried to ruin the reputation of one of the greatest minds in potions!” Bones rolled her eyes.

“She’s not that good and I’m so sick of everyone thinking that she’ll be the next big thing. You are far better, Draco. And someday I will be too,” Bones said. Draco stared at her a few moments, still trying to wrap his head around everything.

Around the fact that Susan Bones was capable of something like this.

“Where did you get the Night Heather?” he asked.

“My cousin has a license to grow it. Stole a bit from him last time I went to visit,” she said.

“But… why?” he asked, not sure he wanted to know.

“She’s been a menace since she started here! She tossed out my project like trash! Other’s too! What I can’t understand is why you’re not happy about this,” Bones said. “She was holding you back more than the rest of us.” 

“She wasn’t,” Draco said. “Which if you weren’t so fucking petty and blind, you’d see that everything she’s done has been to make you better. Make all of us better!” Bones laughed dryly.

“Well it doesn’t matter now. She’s gone,” she said. “Just need to get it through your thick skull that resigning is a mistake.” Draco narrowed his eyes at her a moment as he clenched his wand.

He wanted to hex her. Do all manner of horrible things. But then he thought of Liv. Of everything he had been through to get here. And suddenly, all the anger flowed out of him. His scowl softened as he began to pity Bones.

“I’m afraid you may be wrong there,” Draco said, waving his wand and starting another box. Bones stared at him in confusion. “While I was meeting with White, I turned over evidence that disproves the accusations.”

“But how would you-” She stopped speaking as her eyes widened slightly. Draco chuckled as he continued packing.

“You were thorough, but not enough. Really should have made sure that all those nights Liv was supposedly alone that she actually was alone,” he replied. “You’re definitely no Slytherin in that regard.” Bones mouth fell open as she gaped at him. “Oh, and the so-called lover she had in the department? It’s me. That’s how I knew all the claims were rubbish. That’s part of the reason, I’m leaving, actually. Pesky little policy about not dating the boss.”

“But… but I thought it was just one night,” Bones said. Draco’s eyebrows rose. How the hell did Bones know about that? “I was there you know. At the bar. I saw you with her, but I didn’t know at the time… But then you two were always fighting at the office. I thought I was helping you.”

“I suppose in a way you have,” Draco said thoughtfully. “It forced me to realize what’s truly important to me.” Bones just blinked in confusion. Draco felt even more sorry for her. And found he didn’t want revenge. Perhaps Liv would, though part of him doubted that as well. 

“Look, want my advice? Use all that energy and time on something that makes _you_ happy, Bones,” Draco said softly. She only stared blankly at him. “I don’t need any help in that regard.”

He then looked around his office and packed up the last of his things, quickly shrinking everything down so that it would fit into his pockets. It was a bit funny how quickly he had managed to back up years of work. When he looked up, Bone was still standing there.

“Good-bye, Bones,” he said with a smile before he walked out.

One part of the problem was fixed. Now it was time for Draco to focus on the other - getting Liv back.


	20. From Here on Out

**From Here on Out**

_Slowly, it’s taking over me…_

Draco took a deep breath and then slowly let it out before he stepped up and knocked on Liv’s door. He prayed that he was able to get a few words in before she slammed it in his face, though he was still unsure as to what exactly he would say to her. Perhaps the best place was to start from the beginning?

After a minute or so, the door opened and Liv stared at him. The tears seemed to have stopped, finally. And she had changed out of her work robes. But her face was void of expression and he wasn’t sure if that boded well or not.

“We need to talk, Liv,” he said firmly.

“White was just here,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her. “Said they wanted me to come back… that new evidence proving my innocence came up and while they were sorting things out, I could take back my position.” 

Merlin, that was quick. But why didn’t she seem happy?

“That’s… great news, Liv,” Draco said, genuinely meaning it as he smiled softly. She remained frowning.

“Why did you do it?” she asked. For a moment, Draco hesitated, unsure of what to say. “Why did you get me my job back?”

“Ah, White told you then?” he asked. Liv shook her head.

“He didn’t say anything, but I figured it had to be you,” she said softly. “I mean, it’s what I would do if I wanted to prove that I hadn’t betrayed someone.” Draco held his breath, hoping this meant what he thought it did. 

He started to reach for her but stopped. 

“It was the right thing to do. You’re innocent and I could prove it,” he said. Liv studied him a few moments and then stepped back, pulling the door fully open and allowing him in. 

Draco walked in, waiting for her to shut the door before they both silently made their way up to the library. 

“Today has been… a rollercoaster,” Liv said with a sigh as she stepped a few feet away from him before stopping. She ran her fingers through her hair.

“I expect it has,” Draco said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “But I swear, I had no part in the plan. It was actually Susan Bones.” Liv’s eyes widened in shock. Draco reckoned that was likely how he looked when she had confessed to him.

“Susan?” she asked. “But… she always seemed so… harmless. I mean, she’s meticulous with her work - not creative in the slightest - but… never thought she could scheme or anything.” Draco nodded and then looked to the ground.

“I believe she was bitter about having her project cut. And then… well, she said she did it for me,” he said, feeling heat pool in his face.

“For you?” Liv asked. Draco nodded, still not looking at her.

“She wanted me to head the department… so she set out to get rid of you,” he said. He finally looked back up at her. “I’m so sorry, Liv. I had no idea she was doing this, or I would have stopped her.” Liv stared at him a few moments before speaking, a few different emotions playing out over her face. 

She then settled on relief.

“Well, I suppose it's over now, so nothing I can do about it,” she said. “And it’s not your fault. You didn’t know she would go to such lengths. And I suppose I could have been a bit better about the projects I cut…”

“You’ve been a great leader. Have some in the department not enjoyed it? Yes, unfortunately. But most have come around to you, seeing the good that you have done. And I’ve found it’s mostly to do with their own insecurity than anything in particular that you’ve done,” he said. 

A faint smile came across Liv’s face.

“Thanks… I’m going to need as many in my corner as I can get when I go back in after this. Thank god I have the weekend to… process all of it,” she said, starting over towards the liquor cabinet.

“Ah, so he didn’t tell you everything,” Draco said. Liv stopped and looked over at him, her eyebrows rising in question. “Liv… I quit.”

“Huh? But… why? Why would you do that?” she asked, stunned. “It has nothing to do with framing me. Wait. Please tell me that this wasn’t some sort of trade.” Draco smiled as he slowly walked over to her. 

“I realized that I didn’t really need the Ministry of Magic to make great discoveries in the field of potions anymore,” he said casually. “And… there were some things I wanted more than a big office or fancy title.” He didn’t stop until he was standing over her, his grey eyes boring down into hers.

“You didn’t have to do this for me,” she said softly.

“I didn’t do it for you,” Draco said. “I did it for myself… and for _us_.” Liv blinked a few times and looked away. “I told him everything. That the reason why I knew you couldn’t have done it was because I was with you during the times mentioned, that we were working on research together. And well, I suppose I could have left it at that, but I ended up telling him that we were involved, which is another reason I knew you couldn’t do any of it. So really, it was in both of our interests that I resign. Frankly, I don’t think either of us would get much work done if we were still in the office together…”

Liv looked at him and then started laughing softly.

“May I remind you that I was the epitome of a professional when we worked together,” she said. “I may have wanted to rip your clothes off half the time, but no one - including you - noticed. And we did get a lot done despite all that.”

“This is true,” Draco said with a sigh. “But I would rather not have to hide the fact that I’m madly in love with you.” Liv stared at him, her eyes slowly starting to glisten. “That is… if you’ll still have me.”

Finally, a grin broke out and she stepped up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

“Only if you can forgive me for acting like a total bitch this morning,” she said.

“I think it was completely understandable. No need to apologize,” Draco said lightly. Liv rolled her eyes.

“No, there is. I screwed up. I’m sorry. I’ll do better,” she said. 

“Fine, I forgive you. Do you forgive me?” he asked. Liv started to open her mouth to protest. “Seriously, Liv. We both screwed up in some way here. We need this to move on.” She sighed.

“I forgive you,” she said softly. “And yes, I’ll still have you.” Draco grinned as he bent down to kiss her, his hand resting on her cheek as he gently stroked it with his thumb. 

He could have gone on kissing her forever if she let him, that Draco felt very strongly about. But after some time, Liv pulled back from him, smiling though she was trying to catch her breath. Draco felt his heart racing.

“So, what are you going to do?” Liv finally asked.

“It’s about time that I stood on my own feet,” he said, smiling at her. “Blaise said he thinks I’m better suited for private research and I think he’s right. I’ve got the resources, the space. I don’t need the Ministry to continue my research and I might, in fact, be able to do more now that I’m not under them.”

Liv thought it over a few moments and then smiled brightly at him.

“I think it’s a great idea,” she said. “And it does suit you. You don’t take orders very well.” Draco snorted, though couldn’t help but chuckle. She did have a point.

“My first decision as my own boss is to offer a formal research partnership with one, O. A. De Loughrey,” he said, raising an eyebrow. Liv chuckled and then pecked him on the lips.

“I accept,” she said. 

“Perfect,” Draco replied. Liv then furrowed her brow, as though something just came to her. She glanced at Draco a few times before a small smile appeared.

“Actually… do you think you might need some help with… oh, I don’t know, everything? It’s a bit of an undertaking, starting your own research firm,” she said casually. “And I mean… I have resources as well and we _have_ established that we do work well together…”

Draco’s grin grew as he understood just what she was asking him. 

“Liv… I will always need your help,” he said, bending down to her. “Always…”

~~~

**Two Years Later**

_And I love what you do, don’t you know that you’re toxic?_

Liv took a deep breath, trying to steady her hand as she held it over the conical beaker, a stopper with a solution containing Night Heather in her grip. It was the last bit of their latest supply and if this didn’t work, it would take months for her father to get them more. Months that they couldn’t afford to lose.

They needed this to work. 

Holding her breath, she squeezed, watching as three drops fell into the potion in the beaker and then stepped back. The two liquids swirled together before the whole thing changed color, becoming a deep purple. 

“Okay… didn’t explode. Now to see if it works,” she said, Draco quietly watching at her side. He had learned long ago that she talked a lot when she worked, and it wasn’t always directed at him.

Waving her wand, the beaker detached from the chemistry set and floated over to another table. With another wave of her wand, the glass cooled enough that she could touch it without burning her skin. Grabbing another stopper, she lowered it into the potion and drew out a small amount. She then stepped to a tank where a large rat was lying in the corner, the only movement that showed it was alive was the slightly twitching of its nose.

“Okay, Ratikins. Let’s hopefully make you better,” she said. She reached into the tank and pulled it out, cradling it in her arms. Gently, she put the tip of the stopper in its mouth and administered the potion and then put the rat back in the tank.

They would need to do scans and tests to know fully, but if it worked, there would be some immediate signs. Liv held her breath as what felt like an eternity passed. But slowly, the rat began looking around the tank a bit more. Liv’s eyes widened as it scurried across to the water bottle, still slowly but with more energy than before.

“Oh my god,” she said, her heart stopping. She turned to Draco. “OH MY GOD!”

Throwing her arms around him, he swung her around as she laughed wildy. When he placed her back down, she grinned up at him as he held onto her.

“I think the boss is going to be happy with this,” she quipped.

“Ehm, I think you mean _partner_. And yes, he’s incredibly happy,” Draco said before kissing her. 

He was happy now, but she hoped it extended to other things. Especially with the latest news she had to share with him.

Liv had to admit that despite being excited about leaving her job at the Ministry to start a private research company with Draco, part of her had been terrified. What if they couldn’t stand each other after a while and broke up? What if they fought too much? What if everything fell apart around them and she lost everything?

Even her own father was skeptical about the idea when she told him, advising her to never mix business and pleasure - especially if she was going to be investing money.

But something inside her told her it would be okay. And now she had proof - the first viable prototype of a potion to repair the brain. They could now finally move onto human testing.

Granted, this wasn’t the only project the two had taken on over the years. From the moment Draco asked Liv to be a partner in the venture, they had wasted no time. They decided to use Liv’s library as their main lab since it was already set up. After months of practically living with her, Liv convinced Draco to just move in.

And then for a few months, they only stopped working on potions to eat, sleep or make love. While it made for a nice return on their investments, they both received too many complaints from their friends so started to lighten up a bit, finding a better balance of life and work. 

Of course, even when they were in the lab, Liv found ways to get Draco to lighten up. What started out as an innocent prank war between the two of them ended up landing them a generous contract with Weasleys Wizard Wheezes, though Draco swore he thought it beneath them to work with a joke shop. (Liv knew behind closed doors, he loved coming up with the concoctions and was rather creative.) 

Standing in their now shared lab, looking up at him, Liv couldn’t help but feel as though her heart would burst from happiness. Since her mother died and her father took her to live with him, she had spent her life trying to prove her worth and looking for somewhere that felt like home. 

And then she found Draco. Liv never thought that going home with a man she had never met before would be quite possibly the best decision she ever made. But here she was, his arms around her, finding herself finally feeling as though she had found her home.

And it wasn’t the townhouse.

~~~

“I think we should celebrate,” Draco said. Liv chuckled and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Really think we should get all the notes down while it’s fresh in our minds before we do any _celebrating_. And we need to run tests on Ratikins,” she said, starting to step out of his arms. 

“I didn’t mean right now or _that_ , though now you’ve gone and put the idea in my head,” he quipped, pulling her back to him as he nuzzled her neck. “Really is all your fault…”

Two years together and with one look or word, Liv could have him burning for her in a second. 

Usually they were rather good at sticking to work during the day, the both of them sharing a laser-like focus while in the middle of a project. But today, Draco couldn’t help as an excited buzz filled him. Getting this prototype was a massive breakthrough and he wanted nothing more than to celebrate getting this far in the process.

And well, it _was_ Liv. 

Liv laughed loudly as she attempted to extricate herself from his arms, but Draco was stronger and managed to pull her closer, brushing his lips down her neck as he tickled her. Liv shrieked in response, trying harder to get away from him.

“Seriously, Draco! And you say I’m the one who’s distracting” she shouted as she grinned at him. 

“You are far more distracting than I am,” he said, finally stopping as he smiled down at her, wondering just how it was he had ended up with her. 

Two years ago, Draco was convinced there was no one out there who could see beyond his past long enough to truly get to know him. To fall in love with him. Of course, he also hadn’t predicted someone like Liv coming along.

“I meant, we should have a party,” he said, gazing down at her lovingly. “Invite all our friends and celebrate our breakthrough with them.” Liv looked contemplative a few moments and then nodded, smiling.

“Yea, I think that’s a good idea,” she said. “I know for sure Katie and Lucian will be in. Assuming Blaise, Theo and Margot will come?” Draco nodded. “And George, Angelina.” Draco grimaced slightly, earning a swat from Liv and a playful glare. 

“I know, I know,” he said, rolling his eyes slightly. It wasn’t as though he hated them or anything - in fact, outside of Katie, George was the first of the Gryffindors to accept having him around. Liv had apparently spoken to all of them and said if they wanted to continue hanging out with her and being friends, then they had to accept that she was with him. While George Weasley lived to aggravate everyone, at least it wasn’t cold stares of distrust. 

And eventually the rest of them - even Wood - got used to it. Though they mostly spent their time with Liv’s cousin Katie and her fiance Lucian Bole, who had been in Slytherin with Draco. Or Blaise, Theo and his wife.

Draco still couldn’t quite believe just how much his life had changed since he met Liv. They were living together. They were seeing amazing output with their company in just two years. He was even spending more time with his mother and finally had a conversation that lasted longer than five minutes with his father - all of which was because of Liv in some way or form.

But speaking of fathers…

“Is your father still coming next week?” Draco asked as he let go of Liv and walked over to the liquor cabinet. While they still had a bit more work before they could call it quits, a small celebratory drink wouldn’t hurt.

“Yep. He’s bringing Gramps and Grams with him,” Liv said, walking over to the tank and then bending over to look closer at the rat. “Figured we could run more tests, but Gramps says she’s been doing good on what we’ve had her on the last six months.”

“Perhaps we should do the party when they’re here,” Draco called out.

“That’s an idea. Though do not tell Dad anything before then, otherwise he’ll do something big, unnecessary and completely mortifying,” she said. Draco chuckled as he started towards her, his eyes trailing down her body and then back up. 

Merlin, he hoped that things were always like this between them. 

Liv straightened, turning to face him. A small smirk appeared as she took the glass from him.

“You know I can always tell when you’re staring at my ass,” she said.

“You did, quite literally, stick it up in the air just a moment ago,” Draco said, stepping closer to her. “You’re going to tell me that you didn’t do that on purpose?” Liv just shrugged, though didn’t speak, somehow keeping a look of innocence on her face.

“I was just checking on the rat,” she said. 

Draco’s smirk only grew as he leaned closer - Liv was now pressed up against the table - and he put one arm down, nearly boxing her in. 

“We both know you’re not _that_ innocent,” he said, his voice soft.

“Well damn, you caught me,” Liv said, putting her glass down on the table and sliding it away, though it struck him odd that she hadn’t drank from it. In fact, he just realized that she hadn’t drank at all the last week. “So, what are you going to do about it?” A wicked grin filled his face as he put his own glass down and held her waist, his mind now on one thing.

“Oh… so many things,” he said, his voice low. He then backed away, pulling Liv with him so that she was far enough from the table before bending down and throwing her over his shoulder. She shouted and shrieked with laughter as he turned and started towards the doors. 

“God, Draco… put me down,” she shouted.

“Nope,” he said cheerfully.

“Oh, I’m serious. You need to put me down or I’m going to ralph all over your back,” she said, sounding serious all of sudden. 

Draco quickly put her down, looking her over for any sort of injury or illness. Had it been the potion fumes? Other than looking a bit green, she seemed fine. And he felt fine. Maybe it wasn’t the potion fumes.

“I’m okay,” she said. “Just… got a bit queasy when you threw me over your shoulder.” Draco put his hands to her cheeks. 

“You feel a bit clammy,” he said, his brow furrowed. “Maybe we should take you to the healer.”

“I swear, Draco, it’s okay,” Liv said, smiling. 

“You look green,” he stated. She started chuckling.

“I don’t need to see a healer. I already know what’s wrong with me,” she said. Merlin, something was wrong with her? Why was she smiling about this? Something was wrong with her and she had kept it a secret.

“What is it?” he asked, worry filling his eyes.

“Completely normal. Nothing out of the ordinary. There’s going to be a bit of nausea for a few weeks, but that’ll clear up on its own,” Liv said casually, a mischievous spark in her eyes. Draco frowned.

“And then it’s gone? You’ll be fine?” he asked. Why wouldn’t she bloody tell him what was wrong? Liv grinned up at him.

“Going to take a few months total to get over it… about 9 to 10 months to be exact,” she replied. Draco opened his mouth to demand that she just spit it out when it hit him.

His mouth dropped open as he stared down at her a moment and then looked down to her belly. It was still rather flat, but he had noticed she seemed a bit more tired the last week or so. Then there was the fact she had been begging out of alcohol - which really should have struck him odd before now. And just this morning hadn’t he thought that her breasts had gotten a bit bigger when they were in the shower?

Holy shit. He was going to be a father.

“You’re pregnant,” he said in shock. Liv nodded. 

“Eight weeks,” she said, though her smile started to fade slightly. “Draco… are you okay? I know that we hadn’t really discussed kids that much and we’re not even engaged or anything, but… I thought maybe you’d be happy…”

“I’m… it’s… Sorry. I think I’m in shock,” he said, fighting to get some sort of control over his head. He wanted to cry, jump, shout, kiss Liv, and so many other things that his brain had completely shut down and he couldn’t move. 

She was pregnant. With his child. He was going to be a father. They were going to be parents. He and Liv. They were having a baby.

Draco blinked, filling tears beginning to fill his eyes. 

“Fuck… this is the most amazing news,” he said, his voice cracking as he smiled. Liv smiled in relief.

“You mean... You’re okay with this?” she asked. 

“Am I okay with it? Merlin, yes! We’re having a baby!” Draco shouted. He then pulled her to him and kissed her soundly. He then let go and rushed over to his desk, reaching for parchment and a quill. “We need to tell my mother. And your family. Oh, Grams is going to be thrilled, I think. And then… there’s so much to do. We need to start on the nursery. Get clothes and toys… nappies. Do you think you’ll want a nanny or something? Personally, I wasn’t a fan, but if you want to get back to work we’ll need one and-”

“DRACO!” Liv shouted. He looked up, realizing that he had been speaking so quickly, his thoughts churning so fast, that he was starting to feel a bit lightheaded. He braced himself against the desk as Liv ran up to his side. “Oh, god, are you okay?”

“I just… I think I should sit down,” Draco said, falling back into his chair. 

“I’m the one who’s pregnant and you’re the one who’s about to faint,” Liv said wryly.

“I’m not about to faint,” Draco said, bending over slightly. He closed his eyes a few moments and breathed in and out slowly. Once it felt like the world had stopped spinning, he looked up. Liv was smiling, though there was an edge of concern in her eyes. 

“Are you sure you’re happy about this?” she asked. Draco smiled as he reached out for her hands, pulling her towards him. He positioned her between his legs as he let go of her hands and placed his on her waist.

“I am beyond happy about this, Liv,” he said. “I mean, I always thought that we were complete, but now we’re going to be even more complete.” Liv began grinning as tears filled her eyes. Draco looked down to her stomach as he massaged her waist, leaning forward to kiss it. “Hello little one… I’m your daddy…”

Liv sniffled as she laughed softly. 

“Oh, Draco…” she whispered. He looked back up at her, feeling his own tears starting. Liv bent down and leaned her forehead against his. “I love you so much…”

“I love you too,” he whispered in return.

He had thought it was impossible to love her any more than he already did, but holding her right now, knowing that she was carrying their child, it was as though he had reached a whole new level of happiness. 

And Draco couldn’t help but think he couldn’t have conjured up a better happily ever after if he tried. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the end! I admit - I had a different ending planned. I mean, they were still together, but the baby kind of popped up when I was writing and I decided to run with it...

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I've never written a Draco fic before and never really wanted to. But then for some reason, this idea popped into my head and I was sold.


End file.
